Beam management and coverage enhancements for semi-persistent and configured grant transmissions

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses and methods for transmitting or receiving a signal or a channel. A method for operating a user equipment (UE) to receive the signal or the channel includes receiving a configuration for spatial filters, determining first and second spatial filters from the spatial filters, and determining first and second numbers of repetitions. The spatial filters correspond to spatial relations with reference signals (RSs), respectively. The first and second spatial filters are different. The first and second numbers of repetitions are different. The method further includes transmitting the signal or the channel using the first spatial filter for the first number of repetitions and using the second spatial filter for the second number of repetitions. The second number of repetitions is transmitted after the first number of repetitions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/947,543, filed on Dec. 13, 2019. The content of theabove-identified patent document is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communicationsystems and, more specifically, the present disclosure relates to beammanagement and coverage enhancements for semi-persistent and configuredgrant transmissions.

BACKGROUND

5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) mobile communications is recentlygathering increased momentum with all the worldwide technical activitieson the various candidate technologies from industry and academia. Thecandidate enablers for the 5G/NR mobile communications include massiveantenna technologies, from legacy cellular frequency bands up to highfrequencies, to provide beamforming gain and support increased capacity,new waveform (e.g., a new radio access technology (RAT)) to flexiblyaccommodate various services/applications with different requirements,new multiple access schemes to support massive connections, and so on.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems and,more specifically, the present disclosure relates to beam management andcoverage enhancements for semi-persistent and configured granttransmissions.

In one embodiment, method to transmit a signal or a channel is provided.The method includes receiving a configuration for spatial filters,determining first and second spatial filters from the spatial filters,and determining first and second numbers of repetitions. The spatialfilters correspond to spatial relations with reference signals (RSs),respectively. The first and second spatial filters are different. Thefirst and second numbers of repetitions are different. The methodfurther includes transmitting the signal or the channel using the firstspatial filter for the first number of repetitions and using the secondspatial filter for the second number of repetitions. The second numberof repetitions is transmitted after the first number of repetitions.

In another embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is provided. The UEincludes a transceiver configured to receive a configuration for spatialfilters. The spatial filters correspond to spatial relations withreference signals (RSs), respectively. The UE further includes aprocessor, operably connected to the transceiver. The processor isconfigured to determine first and second spatial filters from thespatial filters and first and second numbers of repetitions. The firstand second spatial filters are different. The first and second numbersof repetitions are different. The transceiver is further configured totransmit a signal or a channel using the first spatial filter for thefirst number of repetitions and using the second spatial filter for thesecond number of repetitions. The second number of repetitions istransmitted after the first number of repetitions.

In yet another embodiment, a base station (BS) is provided. The BSincludes a transceiver configured to transmit a configuration forspatial filters. The spatial filters correspond to spatial relationswith reference signals (RSs), respectively. The BS further includes aprocessor operably connected to the transceiver. The processor isconfigured to determine first and second spatial filters from thespatial filters and first and second numbers of repetitions. The firstand second spatial filters are different. The first and second numbersof repetitions are different. The transceiver is configured to receivethe signal or the channel using the first spatial filter for the firstnumber of repetitions and using the second spatial filter for the secondnumber of repetitions. The second number of repetitions is receivedafter the first number of repetitions.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivativesrefer to any direct or indirect communication between two or moreelements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with oneanother. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “communicate,” as well asderivatives thereof, encompass both direct and indirect communication.The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, meaninclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaningand/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof,means to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, becontained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicablewith, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be boundto or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, orthe like. The term “controller” means any device, system, or partthereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller may beimplemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and/orfirmware. The functionality associated with any particular controllermay be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Thephrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means thatdifferent combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used,and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least oneof: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, Aand B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented orsupported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed fromcomputer readable program code and embodied in a computer readablemedium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or morecomputer programs, software components, sets of instructions,procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or aportion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computerreadable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code”includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code,and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes anytype of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as readonly memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, acompact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type ofmemory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired,wireless, optical, or other communication links that transporttransitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computerreadable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored andmedia where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as arewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

Definitions for other certain words and phrases are provided throughoutthis patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art shouldunderstand that in many if not most instances, such definitions apply toprior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network according to embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example gNB according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example UE according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate example wireless transmit and receive pathsaccording to this disclosure;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate example beam management operations for UL CGPUSCH according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method for a beam determination withenhanced timing for a CG PUSCH transmission according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method for an enhanced beamdetermination using multiple beams for a CG PUSCH transmission accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method for a beam determination withenhanced timing for SPS PDSCH according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a method for an enhanced beamdetermination using multiple beams for SPS PDSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method for a beam failure recoverylike procedure for CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example operation of an enhanced repetitionscheme for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of a method for an enhanced repetitionscheme for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of a method for a UE-determination ofnumber of repetitions for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of a method for an explicit indicationof a UE-determined number of repetitions for CG PUSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of a method for an implicit indicationof a UE-determined number of repetitions for CG PUSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 illustrates a flowchart of a method for an explicit indicationof the number of repetitions for SPS PDSCH according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 18 illustrates a flowchart of a method for an implicit indicationof number of repetitions for SPS PDSCH according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 19 illustrates a flowchart of a method for a repetition with beamcycling for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 20 illustrates a flowchart of a method for a late start fortransmission of high priority traffic on a CG PUSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 21 illustrates an example operation for an enhanced/flexiblerepetition for CG PUSCH carrying high priority traffic according toembodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 22 illustrates a flowchart of a method for a location/zone-specificconfiguration of CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 through FIG. 22 , discussed below, and the various embodimentsused to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference into thepresent disclosure as if fully set forth herein: 3GPP TS 38.211 v15.7.0,“NR; Physical channels and modulation”; 3GPP TS 38.212 v15.7.0, “NR;Multiplexing and Channel coding”; 3GPP TS 38.213 v15.7.0, “NR; PhysicalLayer Procedures for Control”; 3GPP TS 38.214 v15.7.0, “NR; PhysicalLayer Procedures for Data”; 3GPP TS 38.321 v15.7.0, “NR; Medium AccessControl (MAC) protocol specification”; and 3GPP TS 38.331 v15.7.0, “NR;Radio Resource Control (RRC) Protocol Specification.”

FIGS. 1-3 below describe various embodiments implemented in wirelesscommunications systems and with the use of orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access(OFDMA) communication techniques. The descriptions of FIGS. 1-3 are notmeant to imply physical or architectural limitations to the manner inwhich different embodiments may be implemented. Different embodiments ofthe present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably-arrangedcommunications system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network according to embodimentsof the present disclosure. The embodiment of the wireless network shownin FIG. 1 is for illustration only. Other embodiments of the wirelessnetwork 100 could be used without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless network includes a gNB 101 (e.g., basestation, BS), a gNB 102, and a gNB 103. The gNB 101 communicates withthe gNB 102 and the gNB 103. The gNB 101 also communicates with at leastone network 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol(IP) network, or other data network.

The gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to the network 130 for afirst plurality of user equipments (UEs) within a coverage area 120 ofthe gNB 102. The first plurality of UEs includes a UE 111, which may belocated in a small business; a UE 112, which may be located in anenterprise (E); a UE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); aUE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R); a UE 115, whichmay be located in a second residence (R); and a UE 116, which may be amobile device (M), such as a cell phone, a wireless laptop, a wirelessPDA, or the like. The gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to thenetwork 130 for a second plurality of UEs within a coverage area 125 ofthe gNB 103. The second plurality of UEs includes the UE 115 and the UE116. In some embodiments, one or more of the gNBs 101-103 maycommunicate with each other and with the UEs 111-116 using 5G/NR, LTE,LTE-A, WiMAX, WiFi, or other wireless communication techniques.

Depending on the network type, the term “base station” or “BS” can referto any component (or collection of components) configured to providewireless access to a network, such as transmit point (TP),transmit-receive point (TRP), an enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB),a 5G/NR base station (gNB), a macrocell, a femtocell, a WiFi accesspoint (AP), or other wirelessly enabled devices. Base stations mayprovide wireless access in accordance with one or more wirelesscommunication protocols, e.g., 5G/NR 3GPP NR, long term evolution (LTE),LTE advanced (LTE-A), high speed packet access (HSPA), Wi-Fi802.11a/b/g/n/ac, etc. For the sake of convenience, the terms “BS” and“TRP” are used interchangeably in this patent document to refer tonetwork infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remoteterminals. Also, depending on the network type, the term “userequipment” or “UE” can refer to any component such as “mobile station,”“subscriber station,” “remote terminal,” “wireless terminal,” “receivepoint,” or “user device.” For the sake of convenience, the terms “userequipment” and “UE” are used in this patent document to refer to remotewireless equipment that wirelessly accesses a BS, whether the UE is amobile device (such as a mobile telephone or smartphone) or is normallyconsidered a stationary device (such as a desktop computer or vendingmachine).

Dotted lines show the approximate extents of the coverage areas 120 and125, which are shown as approximately circular for the purposes ofillustration and explanation only. It should be clearly understood thatthe coverage areas associated with gNBs, such as the coverage areas 120and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, dependingupon the configuration of the gNBs and variations in the radioenvironment associated with natural and man-made obstructions.

As described in more detail below, one or more of the UEs 111-116include circuitry, programing, or a combination thereof, for beammanagement and coverage enhancements for semi-persistent and configuredgrant transmissions. In certain embodiments, and one or more of the gNBs101-103 includes circuitry, programing, or a combination thereof, forbeam management and coverage enhancements for semi-persistent andconfigured grant transmissions.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a wireless network, variouschanges may be made to FIG. 1 . For example, the wireless network couldinclude any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitablearrangement. Also, the gNB 101 could communicate directly with anynumber of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access tothe network 130. Similarly, each gNB 102-103 could communicate directlywith the network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadbandaccess to the network 130. Further, the gNBs 101, 102, and/or 103 couldprovide access to other or additional external networks, such asexternal telephone networks or other types of data networks.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example gNB 102 according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The embodiment of the gNB 102 illustrated in FIG. 2is for illustration only, and the gNBs 101 and 103 of FIG. 1 could havethe same or similar configuration. However, gNBs come in a wide varietyof configurations, and FIG. 2 does not limit the scope of thisdisclosure to any particular implementation of a gNB.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the gNB 102 includes multiple antennas 205 a-205 n,multiple RF transceivers 210 a-210 n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry215, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 220. The gNB 102 alsoincludes a controller/processor 225, a memory 230, and a backhaul ornetwork interface 235.

The RF transceivers 210 a-210 n receive, from the antennas 205 a-205 n,incoming RF signals, such as signals transmitted by UEs in the network100. The RF transceivers 210 a-210 n down-convert the incoming RFsignals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signalsare sent to the RX processing circuitry 220, which generates processedbaseband signals by filtering, decoding, and/or digitizing the basebandor IF signals. The RX processing circuitry 220 transmits the processedbaseband signals to the controller/processor 225 for further processing.

The TX processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital data (such asvoice data, web data, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from thecontroller/processor 225. The TX processing circuitry 215 encodes,multiplexes, and/or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generateprocessed baseband or IF signals. The RF transceivers 210 a-210 nreceive the outgoing processed baseband or IF signals from the TXprocessing circuitry 215 and up-converts the baseband or IF signals toRF signals that are transmitted via the antennas 205 a-205 n.

The controller/processor 225 can include one or more processors or otherprocessing devices that control the overall operation of the gNB 102.For example, the controller/processor 225 could control the reception offorward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signalsby the RF transceivers 210 a-210 n, the RX processing circuitry 220, andthe TX processing circuitry 215 in accordance with well-knownprinciples. The controller/processor 225 could support additionalfunctions as well, such as more advanced wireless communicationfunctions. For instance, the controller/processor 225 could support beamforming or directional routing operations in which outgoing/incomingsignals from/to multiple antennas 205 a-205 n are weighted differentlyto effectively steer the outgoing signals in a desired direction. Any ofa wide variety of other functions could be supported in the gNB 102 bythe controller/processor 225.

The controller/processor 225 is also capable of executing programs andother processes resident in the memory 230, such as an OS. Thecontroller/processor 225 can move data into or out of the memory 230 asrequired by an executing process.

The controller/processor 225 is also coupled to the backhaul or networkinterface 235. The backhaul or network interface 235 allows the gNB 102to communicate with other devices or systems over a backhaul connectionor over a network. The interface 235 could support communications overany suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, when the gNB102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such asone supporting 5G/NR, LTE, or LTE-A), the interface 235 could allow thegNB 102 to communicate with other gNBs over a wired or wireless backhaulconnection. When the gNB 102 is implemented as an access point, theinterface 235 could allow the gNB 102 to communicate over a wired orwireless local area network or over a wired or wireless connection to alarger network (such as the Internet). The interface 235 includes anysuitable structure supporting communications over a wired or wirelessconnection, such as an Ethernet or RF transceiver.

The memory 230 is coupled to the controller/processor 225. Part of thememory 230 could include a RAM, and another part of the memory 230 couldinclude a Flash memory or other ROM.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates one example of gNB 102, various changes maybe made to FIG. 2 . For example, the gNB 102 could include any number ofeach component shown in FIG. 2 . As a particular example, an accesspoint could include a number of interfaces 235, and thecontroller/processor 225 could support routing functions to route databetween different network addresses. As another particular example,while shown as including a single instance of TX processing circuitry215 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 220, the gNB 102could include multiple instances of each (such as one per RFtransceiver). Also, various components in FIG. 2 could be combined,further subdivided, or omitted and additional components could be addedaccording to particular needs.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example UE 116 according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The embodiment of the UE 116 illustrated in FIG. 3is for illustration only, and the UEs 111-115 of FIG. 1 could have thesame or similar configuration. However, UEs come in a wide variety ofconfigurations, and FIG. 3 does not limit the scope of this disclosureto any particular implementation of a UE.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the UE 116 includes an antenna 305, a radiofrequency (RF) transceiver 310, TX processing circuitry 315, amicrophone 320, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 325. The UE 116also includes a speaker 330, a processor 340, an input/output (I/O)interface (IF) 345, a touchscreen 350, a display 355, and a memory 360.The memory 360 includes an operating system (OS) 361 and one or moreapplications 362.

The RF transceiver 310 receives, from the antenna 305, an incoming RFsignal transmitted by a gNB of the network 100. The RF transceiver 310down-converts the incoming RF signal to generate an intermediatefrequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent tothe RX processing circuitry 325, which generates a processed basebandsignal by filtering, decoding, and/or digitizing the baseband or IFsignal. The RX processing circuitry 325 transmits the processed basebandsignal to the speaker 330 (such as for voice data) or to the processor340 for further processing (such as for web browsing data).

The TX processing circuitry 315 receives analog or digital voice datafrom the microphone 320 or other outgoing baseband data (such as webdata, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the processor 340.The TX processing circuitry 315 encodes, multiplexes, and/or digitizesthe outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IFsignal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the outgoing processed basebandor IF signal from the TX processing circuitry 315 and up-converts thebaseband or IF signal to an RF signal that is transmitted via theantenna 305.

The processor 340 can include one or more processors or other processingdevices and execute the OS 361 stored in the memory 360 in order tocontrol the overall operation of the UE 116. For example, the processor340 could control the reception of forward channel signals and thetransmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceiver 310, theRX processing circuitry 325, and the TX processing circuitry 315 inaccordance with well-known principles. In some embodiments, theprocessor 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

The processor 340 is also capable of executing other processes andprograms resident in the memory 360, such as processes for beammanagement. The processor 340 can move data into or out of the memory360 as required by an executing process. In some embodiments, theprocessor 340 is configured to execute the applications 362 based on theOS 361 or in response to signals received from gNBs or an operator. Theprocessor 340 is also coupled to the I/O interface 345, which providesthe UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices, such as laptopcomputers and handheld computers. The I/O interface 345 is thecommunication path between these accessories and the processor 340.

The processor 340 is also coupled to the touchscreen 350 and the display355. The operator of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen 350 to enterdata into the UE 116. The display 355 may be a liquid crystal display,light emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering textand/or at least limited graphics, such as from web sites.

The memory 360 is coupled to the processor 340. Part of the memory 360could include a random access memory (RAM), and another part of thememory 360 could include a Flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

Although FIG. 3 illustrates one example of UE 116, various changes maybe made to FIG. 3 . For example, various components in FIG. 3 could becombined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components couldbe added according to particular needs. As a particular example, theprocessor 340 could be divided into multiple processors, such as one ormore central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processingunits (GPUs). Also, while FIG. 3 illustrates the UE 116 configured as amobile telephone or smartphone, UEs could be configured to operate asother types of mobile or stationary devices.

To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased sincedeployment of 4G communication systems and to enable various verticalapplications, efforts have been made to develop and deploy an improved5G/NR or pre-5G/NR communication system. Therefore, the 5G/NR orpre-5G/NR communication system is also called a “beyond 4G network” or a“post LTE system.” The 5G/NR communication system is considered to beimplemented in higher frequency (mmWave) bands, e.g., 28 GHz or 60 GHzbands, so as to accomplish higher data rates or in lower frequencybands, such as 6 GHz, to enable robust coverage and mobility support.Aspects of the present disclosure may also be applied to deployment of5G communication system, 6G or even later release which may useterahertz (THz) bands. To decrease propagation loss of the radio wavesand increase the transmission distance, the beamforming, massivemultiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO),array antenna, an analog beam forming, large scale antenna techniquesare discussed in 5G/NR communication systems.

In addition, in 5G/NR communication systems, development for systemnetwork improvement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloudradio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device(D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperativecommunication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), reception-endinterference cancellation and the like.

A communication system includes a downlink (DL) that refers totransmissions from a base station or one or more transmission points toUEs and an uplink (UL) that refers to transmissions from UEs to a basestation or to one or more reception points.

A time unit for DL signaling or for UL signaling on a cell is referredto as a slot and can include one or more symbols. A symbol can alsoserve as an additional time unit. A frequency (or bandwidth (BW)) unitis referred to as a resource block (RB). One RB includes a number ofsub-carriers (SCs). For example, a slot can have duration of 0.5milliseconds or 1 millisecond, include 14 symbols and an RB can include12 SCs with inter-SC spacing of 15 KHz or 30 KHz, and so on.

DL signals include data signals conveying information content, controlsignals conveying DL control information (DCI), and reference signals(RS) that are also known as pilot signals. A gNB transmits datainformation or DCI through respective physical DL shared channels(PDSCHs) or physical DL control channels (PDCCHs). A PDSCH or a PDCCHcan be transmitted over a variable number of slot symbols including oneslot symbol. For brevity, a DCI format scheduling a PDSCH reception by aUE is referred to as a DL DCI format and a DCI format scheduling aphysical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission from a UE isreferred to as an UL DCI format.

A gNB transmits one or more of multiple types of RS including channelstate information RS (CSI-RS) and demodulation RS (DMRS). A CSI-RS isprimarily intended for UEs to perform measurements and provide channelstate information (CSI) to a gNB. For channel measurement, non-zeropower CSI-RS (NZP CSI-RS) resources are used. For interferencemeasurement reports (IMRs), CSI interference measurement (CSI-IM)resources associated with a zero power CSI-RS (ZP CSI-RS) configurationare used. A CSI process includes NZP CSI-RS and CSI-IM resources.

A UE can determine CSI-RS transmission parameters through DL controlsignaling or higher layer signaling, such as radio resource control(RRC) signaling, from a gNB. Transmission instances of a CSI-RS can beindicated by DL control signaling or be configured by higher layersignaling. A DMRS is transmitted only in the BW of a respective PDCCH orPDSCH and a UE can use the DMRS to demodulate data or controlinformation.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate example wireless transmit and receive pathsaccording to this disclosure. In the following description, a transmitpath 400 may be described as being implemented in a gNB (such as the gNB102), while a receive path 500 may be described as being implemented ina UE (such as a UE 116). However, it may be understood that the receivepath 500 can be implemented in a gNB and that the transmit path 400 canbe implemented in a UE. In some embodiments, the receive path 500 isconfigured to support the codebook design and structure for systemshaving 2D antenna arrays as described in embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

The transmit path 400 as illustrated in FIG. 4 includes a channel codingand modulation block 405, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 410, asize N inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 415, aparallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 420, an add cyclic prefix block 425,and an up-converter (UC) 430. The receive path 500 as illustrated inFIG. 5 includes a down-converter (DC) 555, a remove cyclic prefix block560, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 565, a size N fast Fouriertransform (FFT) block 570, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 575, anda channel decoding and demodulation block 580.

As illustrated in FIG. 400 , the channel coding and modulation block 405receives a set of information bits, applies coding (such as alow-density parity check (LDPC) coding), and modulates the input bits(such as with quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) or quadratureamplitude modulation (QAM)) to generate a sequence of frequency-domainmodulation symbols.

The serial-to-parallel block 410 converts (such as de-multiplexes) theserial modulated symbols to parallel data in order to generate Nparallel symbol streams, where N is the IFFT/FFT size used in the gNB102 and the UE 116. The size N IFFT block 415 performs an IFFT operationon the N parallel symbol streams to generate time-domain output signals.The parallel-to-serial block 420 converts (such as multiplexes) theparallel time-domain output symbols from the size N IFFT block 415 inorder to generate a serial time-domain signal. The add cyclic prefixblock 425 inserts a cyclic prefix to the time-domain signal. Theup-converter 430 modulates (such as up-converts) the output of the addcyclic prefix block 425 to an RF frequency for transmission via awireless channel. The signal may also be filtered at baseband beforeconversion to the RF frequency.

A transmitted RF signal from the gNB 102 arrives at the UE 116 afterpassing through the wireless channel, and reverse operations to those atthe gNB 102 are performed at the UE 116.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the down-converter 555 down-converts thereceived signal to a baseband frequency, and the remove cyclic prefixblock 560 removes the cyclic prefix to generate a serial time-domainbaseband signal. The serial-to-parallel block 565 converts thetime-domain baseband signal to parallel time domain signals. The size NFFT block 570 performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallelfrequency-domain signals. The parallel-to-serial block 575 converts theparallel frequency-domain signals to a sequence of modulated datasymbols. The channel decoding and demodulation block 580 demodulates anddecodes the modulated symbols to recover the original input data stream.

Each of the gNBs 101-103 may implement a transmit path 400 asillustrated in FIG. 4 that is analogous to transmitting in the downlinkto UEs 111-116 and may implement a receive path 500 as illustrated inFIG. 5 that is analogous to receiving in the uplink from UEs 111-116.Similarly, each of UEs 111-116 may implement the transmit path 400 fortransmitting in the uplink to the gNBs 101-103 and may implement thereceive path 500 for receiving in the downlink from the gNBs 101-103.

Each of the components in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 can be implemented usingonly hardware or using a combination of hardware and software/firmware.As a particular example, at least some of the components in FIG. 4 andFIG. 5 may be implemented in software, while other components may beimplemented by configurable hardware or a mixture of software andconfigurable hardware. For instance, the FFT block 570 and the IFFTblock 515 may be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherethe value of size N may be modified according to the implementation.

Furthermore, although described as using FFT and IFFT, this is by way ofillustration only and may not be construed to limit the scope of thisdisclosure. Other types of transforms, such as discrete Fouriertransform (DFT) and inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) functions,can be used. It may be appreciated that the value of the variable N maybe any integer number (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, or the like) for DFT and IDFTfunctions, while the value of the variable N may be any integer numberthat is a power of two (such as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or the like) for FFT andIFFT functions.

Although FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate examples of wireless transmit andreceive paths, various changes may be made to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 . Forexample, various components in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 can be combined,further subdivided, or omitted and additional components can be addedaccording to particular needs. Also, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are meant toillustrate examples of the types of transmit and receive paths that canbe used in a wireless network. Any other suitable architectures can beused to support wireless communications in a wireless network.

The present disclosure relates to a pre-5G or 5G communication system tobe provided for supporting one or more of: higher data rates, lowerlatency, higher reliability, and massive connectivity, beyond 4Gcommunication system such as LTE. Although the focus of this disclosureis on 3GPP 5G NR communication systems, various embodiments may apply ingeneral to UEs operating with other RATs and/or standards, such asdifferent releases/generations of 3GPP standards (including beyond 5G,6G, and so on), IEEE standards (such as 802.16 WiMAX and 802.11 Wi-Fi),and so on.

This disclosure pertains to a UE or a group of UEs with reduced costand/or complexity or, in general, reduced capability (REDCAP) UEs. Forexample, a REDCAP UE can have one or more of the following reducedbandwidth, reduced number of Rx and/or Tx RF chain, reduced power classcompared to a legacy/baseline UE or UE group/category such as the onedefined by 3GPP 5G NR Rel-15. A REDCAP UE or UE group may be recognizedas a UE category (or multiple UE categories) satisfying certainpredetermined/specified radio and/or service requirements and/or certainpredetermined/specified UE capabilities. A REDCAP UE or UEgroup/category can also support certain features, such as for coveragerecovery or coverage enhancement. Examples of such a REDCAP UE caninclude smart wearables/watches, surveillance cameras, and (mid-tier)wireless sensors. In certain scenarios and deployments, there may be alarge number (e.g., tens or hundreds or more) of REDCAP UEs within aserving cell.

This disclosure also pertains any UE that benefits from/requirescoverage enhancement, for example due to deployment situations that canexperience large propagation loss, such as deep in building use cases,or due to a reduced number of receiver antennas, or due to a reducedpower class for an amplifier of the UE transmitter.

This disclosure also pertains any UE that benefits from reduced overheadfor transmissions and decreased receiver complexity, such astransmission with reduced control information, reduced PDCCH monitoringrequirements, transmissions with configured grant (CG), or transmissionswith semi-persistent scheduling (SPS).

Downlink semi-persistent scheduling (DL SPS) and uplink configured grant(UL CG) configurations provide efficient resource utilization means withlow control signalling overhead for periodic or semi-persistent traffic.

Coverage enhancements can be provided by using a narrower transmissionbeam as a total transmission power can be contained in the spatialdimension rather than be uniformly spread in space such as when using anomni-directional antenna.

Therefore, there is a need to improve beam management including beamselection and/or beam refinement for UL CG/DL SPStransmissions/receptions, especially when UE mobility needs to besupported and/or when a signal quality of beam(s) change(s) over time.

There is another need to improve coverage for UL CG/DL SPStransmission/receptions in response to variations in channel/beamquality over time.

There is a further need to develop enhancements in supporting UL CG/DLSPS transmissions/receptions such that they do not introduce(significant) additional signalling overhead to the system.

The present disclosure provides enhancements for DL SPS and/or UL CGconfigurations and transmissions, wherein the focus of enhancements isat least one or more of: improved channel/beam quality for UL CG/DL SPStransmissions/receptions via beam management enhancements such as beamselection, beam refinement, and beam failure recovery operations for ULCG/DL SPS transmissions based on UE autonomous decisions, or gNBguidance or indication, or a combination thereof; improved coverage forUL CG/DL SPS transmissions via enhanced repetition schemes such asdynamic and autonomous UE selection of a number of repetitions for an ULCG transmission; improved latency for a UL CG transmission by supportinga flexible start time for UL CG transmission occasion; andlocation-based configuration of UL CG/DL SPS to allow all UEs within acertain geographical area to use a common UL CG/DL SPS configuration.

One motivation for focusing on enhanced beam management and enhancedrepetitions schemes is to improve coverage for UL CG/DL SPS transmissionfor use cases related to massive IoT or REDCAP UEs as well as legacyeMBB UEs requiring coverage enhancement, for example due to operation inhigher carrier frequencies. The embodiments, however, are generic andcan be applied to other use cases as well, such as for servicesrequiring enhanced reliability, sidelink/V2X communications, and so on.

This disclosure addresses the above concepts and provides additionaldesign aspects for supporting enhanced beam management mechanisms andcoverage enhancement methods (including enhanced repetition schemes) forDL SPS or UL CG transmissions, and discloses novel solutions andembodiments for DL SPS/UL CG operation as summarized below and as theyare subsequently fully elaborated.

In one embodiment, an enhanced beam management for UL CG is provided toprovide a separate set of beam indications for UL CG compared to adynamically scheduled/triggered UL transmission.

In one example, an enhanced timing for beam indication for UL CG isprovided to support a dynamic beam change for UL CG, such that each ULCG transmission occasion follows a realization of a last UL CG beamprior to that transmission occasion, and can be potentially differentfrom a beam realization for other UL CG transmission occasions.

In another example, UL CG PUSCH with multiple beam indication resourcesis provided to support a single UL CG configured with multiple beamindication RS resources so that each transmission occasion can follow adifferent beam indication RS resource (from the multiple resources)based on gNB indication or UE selection, such as based on UEmeasurements of the resources, or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, enhanced beam management and indication for DL SPSare provided. In one embodiment, enhanced timing for beam indication forDL SPS is provided. In one embodiment, DL SPS PDSCH with multiple beamindication resources is provided, that provide for DL SPS similar beammanagement enhancements as described above for the case of UL CG.

In one embodiment, a beam-failure-recovery-like procedure for UL CG/DLSPS is provided that describes methods for replacing beam(s) that is/areconfigured/indicated for UL CG or DL SPS and is/are detected by a UE tohave failed to be failing in terms of link quality, so that the UE cancontinue using the UL CG/DL SPS resources even after a failure ofcorresponding beams. According to some provided solutions, this benefitcan be achieved with reduced overhead, for example, without any gNBsignalling.

In one embodiment, an enhanced repetition mechanism for UL CG isprovided that supports gNB indication/configuration of a set or range ofvalid/allowed number of repetitions for the UE to select from, such aminimum and maximum number of repetitions or, for example, a baselinenumber of repetitions along with a scale factor/ratio.

In one example, methods for UE-determination of a number of UL CGrepetitions are provided for the UE to select an actual number ofrepetitions (from a set/range of allowed values) for each UL CGtransmission occasion based on UE measurement of one or multipleconfigured/indicated RS resources.

In another example, methods for UE-indication to the gNB regarding aUE-selected number of UL CG repetitions are provided, such as explicitindication, for example, in a CG-UCI multiplexed on the CG PUSCH, or animplicit indication, for example, using different DMRS featuresdepending on the number of repetitions.

In another example, an enhanced repetition mechanism for DL SPS isprovided that provides for DL SPS similar repetition enhancements asdescribed above for UL CG.

In one embodiment, beam selection and beam cycling are provided forrepetitions of UL CG configured with multiple beams, to transmit allrepetitions of an UL CG with a same beam or to transmit repetitions ingroups such that each repetition group corresponds to a potentiallydifferent beam, and each repetition group can include a same ordifferent number of repetitions.

In one example of, beam selection and beam cycling are provided forrepetitions of DL SPS configured with multiple beams that provides forDL SPS similar repetition enhancements as briefly described above forthe case of UL CG.

In one embodiment, enhanced UL CG repetitions are provided for highpriority traffic to allow the UE to start transmitting on asymbol/slot/repetition of an UL CG transmission occasion different fromthe first symbol/slot/repetition of UL CG transmission occasion, alongwith an indication to the gNB on the starting point. There can be agNB-indicated threshold on how late the UE can start transmitting on anUL CG transmission occasion.

In one embodiment, a location-based configuration of UL CG/DL SPS isprovided to support a configuration of transmission resources and/orparameters for UL CG/DL SPS based on geographical location parameters,such as zone-specific configuration of UL CG/DL SPS to be used for allUEs in that zone. Location or zone determination can be based on e.g.,V2X zones, GPS signal, and/or positioning reference signal (PRS).

A dynamic data transmission in a downlink (DL) or an uplink (UL) of acommunication system refers to an aperiodic transmission of informationon a PDSCH or PUSCH that is scheduled by a DCI format in a PDCCHreception

The DCI format can indicate parameters related to resource allocation,power control, and scheduling and HARQ such as: time domain resourceallocation (TDRA), frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA), virtualto physical resource mapping (for the case of interleaving), modulationand coding scheme (MCS), UL frequency hopping parameters, HARQ processnumber (HPN), new data indicator (NDI), redundancy version (RV), and(for PUSCH) TPC for PUSCH or (for PDSCH) PUCCH resource index, TPC forPUCCH, PDSCH-to-HARQ feedback timing, and downlink assignment index(DAI).

The DCI format can additionally include parameters related to crossscheduling, MIMO operation, enhanced HARQ operation, control informationmultiplexing, rate matching, repetition, such as an indication for oneor more of a cell/carrier/bandwidth part (BWP), an antenna port,transmission configurator indicator/sounding reference signal (SRS)resource indicator (TCI/SRI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), CSI-RStrigger/request, SRS trigger/request, DMRS initialization, PTRSassociation, number of codeblock groups (CBGs), CBG flushing indicator,DAI (for multiplexing HARQ codebook on PUSCH), uplink-shared channel(UL-SCH) indicator, beta_offset, physical resource block (PRB) bundlingsize, rate matching indicator, number of repetitions, and so on.

The order and/or bit-width of the information fields (IEs) in the DCIformat can be predetermined in system specifications and/or can beconfigurable.

A UE can receive a PDCCH providing a DCI format according to aUE-specific search space (USS) where a CRC of the DCI format isscrambled by a UE-specific radio network temporary identifier (RNTI)such as a cell-RNTI (C-RNTI) or a modulation coding scheme-cell-RNTI(MCS-C-RNTI). A dynamic PDSCH or PUSCH transmission can be repeated anumber of times per RRC configuration or per DCI indication, wherein therepetition can be on a slot basis (a.k.a., slot aggregation orrepetition Type-1) or on a shorter time scale/duration a repetitionType-2.

A UE can also receive a PDCCH providing a DCI format according to a in acommon search space (CSS). DCI formats provided by PDCCH receptionsaccording to a CSS include a DCI format providing a DL/UL slot formatindication (SFI), a DCI format providing DL or UL transmissioninterruption/cancellation/pre-emption, DCI formats providing TPCcommands for PUSCH, PUCCH, SRS, and so on.

An antenna port is defined such that the channel over which a symbol onthe antenna port is conveyed can be inferred from the channel over whichanother symbol on the same antenna port is conveyed.

Two antenna ports are said to be quasi co-located (QCL) if thelarge-scale properties of the channel over which a symbol on one antennaport is conveyed can be inferred from the channel over which a symbol onthe other antenna port is conveyed. The large-scale properties includeone or more of delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, averagegain, average delay, and spatial Rx parameters.

A UE can be configured with a list of up to M TCI-State configurationswithin the higher layer parameter PDSCH-Config to decode PDSCH accordingto a detected PDCCH with DCI intended for the UE and the given servingcell, where M depends on the UE capabilitymaxNumberConfiguredTCIstatesPerCC. Each TCI-State contains parametersfor configuring a QCL relationship between one or two downlink referencesignals and the DMRS ports of the PDSCH, the DMRS port of PDCCH or theCSI-RS port(s) of a CSI-RS resource.

The quasi co-location relationship is configured by the higher layerparameter qcl-Type1 for the first DL RS, and qcl-Type2 for the second DLRS (if configured). For the case of two DL RSs, the QCL types may not bethe same, regardless of whether the references are to the same DL RS ordifferent DL RSs.

The quasi co-location types corresponding to each DL RS are given by thehigher layer parameter qcl-Type in QCL-Info and may take one of thefollowing values: “QCL-TypeA”: {Doppler shift, Doppler spread, averagedelay, delay spread}; “QCL-TypeB”: {Doppler shift, Doppler spread};“QCL-TypeC”: {Doppler shift, average delay}; and “QCL-TypeD”: {SpatialRx parameter}.

A UE receives a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE)activation command to map up to N such as N=8 TCI states to thecodepoints of the DCI field “Transmission Configuration Indication.”When the HARQ-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) information corresponding tothe PDSCH carrying the MAC-CE activation command is transmitted in slotn, the indicated mapping between TCI states and codepoints of the DCIfield “Transmission Configuration Indication” may be applied after aMAC-CE application time, e.g., starting from the first slot that isafter slot e.g.

n + 3N_(slot)^(subframe, μ)where

N_(slot)^(subframe, μ)is a number of slot per subframe for subcarrier spacing (SCS)configuration μ.

Throughout the present disclosure, the terms “transmission” and“retransmission,” if not clarified, are used to refer to a transmissionfrom UE side or a transmission from a gNB side (i.e., a reception at theUE side), which may be clear from the context. Throughout thisdisclosure, the term “dynamic PUSCH transmission” is used to refer to aPUSCH transmission that is scheduled by a DCI format.

Throughout the present disclosure, the terms “initial transmission” orthe term “original transmission” are used to refer to a transmission ora corresponding reception before any HARQ retransmission and/or HARQcombining.

Throughout the present disclosure, the terms “DL SPS” and “SPS PDSCH”and “DL SPS PDSCH” are used interchangeably, with details anddefinitions as discussed below and throughput this disclosure.

Throughout the present disclosure, the terms “UL CG” and “CG PUSCH” and“UL CG PUSCH” are used interchangeably, with details and definitions asdiscussed below and throughput this disclosure.

In some use cases and scenarios, such as, voice over internet protocol(VoIP), sensor measurements, data collection, and so on, a periodic orsemi-persistent data traffic pattern is expected on the DL or the UL.Such a traffic pattern motivates a use of (pre-)configured resources andscheduling for data transmission, to avoid control overhead associatedwith scheduling a data transmission using a DCI format in a PDCCHtransmission. For such periodic or semi-persistent DL or UL datatransmissions, SPS and/or CG transmission is preferable.

A CG PUSCH Type-1 configuration pertains purely RRC-based configuration,activation, and release/deactivation of resource allocation andtransmission parameters, except possibly for some implicit parameterdeterminations. A CG PUSCH Type-2 configuration pertains some resourceallocation and transmission parameter indications by RRC configuration,while other resource allocation and transmission parameter indicationsare provided by a DCI format activating the CG-PUSCH Type 2 transmissionexcept possibly for some implicit parameter determinations. A release ofresources configured to a UE for CG-PUSCH Type 2 transmission isindicated by a deactivation/releasing DCI format.

For semi-persistent DL data transmission, a DL SPS configuration isdefined wherein some resource allocation and transmission parameterindications are provided by RRC configuration, while other remainingresource allocation and transmission parameters as well as activation ofthe DL SPS transmission are indicated by an activation DCI format,except possibly for some implicit parameter determinations. A release ofthe resources configured to a UE for DL SPS receptions is indicated by adeactivation/release DCI format. Such operation for DL SPS transmissionsis similar to CG PUSCH Type 2 transmissions.

A operation for DL SPS transmissions similar to UL CG Type-1 for DLtraffic (which pertains purely semi-statically (i.e., RRC)configuration, activation, and release/deactivation of resourceallocation and transmission parameters, except possibly for someimplicit parameter determinations) can be considered and referred to asDL SPS Type-1; therefore, the abovementioned DL SPS configuration (whichfollows a combination of RRC and DCI signalling) can be considered as aDL SPS Type-2 configuration.

For example, RRC signalling can configure the following parameters forDL SPS Type-2: periodicity, number of HARQ processes, PUCCH resourceindex for HARQ feedback, and MCS. In another example, RRC can configurethe following parameters: periodicity, number of HARQ processes, Timer(e.g., for release of DL SPS Type-2 resources in case of inactivity),MCS table, open and closed loop power control parameters, number ofrepetitions, RV for repetitions. For an DL SPS Type-2 configuration,other transmission parameters are also RRC configured, such as:time/frequency allocation, frequency hopping parameters, MCS, MIMOrelated parameters such as antenna ports, SRI, PMI, DMRS initialization,and pathloss RS index, while such parameters are indicated by a DCIformat for a CG PUSCH Type-2 or for DL SPS Type-2.

For a DL SPS Type-2 and CG PUSCH Type-2 transmission, repetition(s) canbe on a slot basis or on a shorter time scale, such as over a number ofsymbols, and the number of repetitions can be indicated by theactivation DCI format (for DL SPS Type-1) or configured by higher layers(for DL SPS Type-2).

HARQ related information for SPS PDSCH/CG PUSCH can be implicitlydetermined. For example, a HARQ process number for SPS PDSCH/CG PUSCHcan be determined based on the timing (e.g., starting symbol/slot) ofthe SPS PDSCH/CG PUSCH transmission occasion using a predeterminedformula in the system specifications, and also possibly based on aconfigured offset value.

For example, for SPS PDSCH, the HARQ process identifier (ID) associatedwith the slot where the DL transmission starts is derived as:HARQ ProcessID=[floor(CURRENT_slot×10/(numberOfSlotsPerFrame×periodicity))]modulonrofHARQ-Processes,where CURRENT_slot=[(SFN×numberOfSlotsPerFrame)+slot number in theframe] and numberOfSlotsPerFrame refers to the number of consecutiveslots per frame where SFN is a system frame number.

In another example, for configured uplink grants (i.e., UL CG PUSCH),the HARQ process ID associated with the first symbol of a ULtransmission is derived from the following equation:HARQ Process ID=[floor(CURRENT_symbol/periodicity)]modulonrofHARQ-Processes, whereCURRENT_symbol=(SFN×numberOfSlotsPerFrame×numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+slotnumber in the frame×numberOfSymbolsPerSlot+symbol number in the slot),and numberOfSlotsPerFrame and numberOfSymbolsPerSlot refer to the numberof consecutive slots per frame and the number of consecutive symbols perslot.

In one example, for determining NDI, only initial transmissions may beallowed/supported on SPS PDSCH/CG PUSCH transmissions and anyretransmission can be scheduled using a DCI format. Then, there is noneed for an NDI field. In another example, a redundancy version for aSPS PDSCH/CG PUSCH transmission can be fixed to RV=0, while for the caseof repetitions, an RV for each repetition can be based on asequential/cyclic selection of RV from a configured set of RVs, e.g.,{0, 0, 0, 0} or {0, 3, 0, 3} or {0, 2, 3, 1}.

In yet another example, for certain applications such as for operationwith shared spectrum, HARQ related parameters for a CG PUSCHtransmission such as a HPN and a RV can be decided by the UE and thenmultiplexed as configured grant UCI (CG-UCI) with the data informationin a CG-PUSCH transmission. In addition, a HARQ retransmission of aninitial CG PUSCH transmission using UL CG resources can be allowed byincluding an NDI field in the CG-UCI.

A UE can be provided by higher layers (RRC signalling) a PUCCH resourceindex to transmit a PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information in response to a SPSPDSCH reception. In one example, a PUCCH resource can beindicated/updated by a DCI format activating the SPS PDSCH reception.The DCI format can also indicate a PDSCH-to-HARQ feedback timing A TPCcommand for CG PUSCH or for PUCCH with HARQ-ACK information for SPSPDSCH reception can be provided by respective DCI formats that a UEreceives corresponding PDCCHs according to a CSS and provide TPCcommands for the UE.

A HARQ-ACK feedback for CG-PUSCH transmissions may or may not besupported. In one example, the HARQ-ACK feedback for CG PUSCHtransmissions from a UE is not supported, and the UE monitors the PDCCHin a predetermined/configured time window after a CG PUSCH transmissionfor detection of a DCI format scheduling a HARQ retransmission for a CGPUSCH If the UE does not detect any DCI format by the end of the timewindow, the UE assumes that the gNB correctly decoded the transportblock in the CG PUSCH transmission.

The UE cannot distinguish the case that the gNB failed to detect thepresence of the CG PUSCH transmission from the case that the gNBcorrectly decoded the transport block in the CG PUSCH transmission. Inanother example, the HARQ-ACK feedback for CG PUSCH transmission issupported and the UE expects to receive a downlink feedback indication(DFI) format in a predetermined or configured time window after the CGPUSCH transmission. The DFI provides a HARQ-ACK information and may alsoprovide other parameters such as a RV, a number of repetitions, and soon.

If the UE does not detect the DFI by the end of the window after the CGPUSCH transmission, the UE may assume that the gNB either failed todetect the presence of the CG PUSCH transmission or that the gNB failedto transmit the DFI, for example due to listen-before-talk (LBT) failurein operation with shared spectrum.

When receiving PDSCH scheduled by DCI format 1_1 or 1_2 in PDCCH withCRC scrambled by C-RNTI, MCS-C-RNTI, CS-RNTI, or PDSCH scheduled withoutcorresponding PDCCH transmission using sps-Config and activated by DCIformat 1_1 or 1_2, if the UE is configured with pdsch-AggregationFactor,the same symbol allocation is applied across the pdsch-AggregationFactorconsecutive slots. The UE may expect that the TB is repeated within eachsymbol allocation among each of the pdsch-AggregationFactor consecutiveslots and the PDSCH is limited to a single transmission layer. Theredundancy version to be applied on the n^(th) transmission occasion ofthe TB, where n=0, 1, . . . pdsch-AggregationFactor−1, is determinedaccording to table below and “rv_(id) indicated by the DCI schedulingthe PDSCH” in TABLE 1 below is assumed to be 0 for PDSCH scheduledwithout corresponding PDCCH transmission using sps-Config and activatedby DCI format 1_1 or 1_2. Applied redundancy version whenpdsch-AggregationFactor is present

TABLE 1 Applied redundancy version when pdsch-AggregationFactor ispresent rv_(id) indicated rv_(id) to be applied to n^(th) by the DCItransmission occasion scheduling n mod n mod n mod n mod the PDSCH 4 = 04 = 1 4 = 2 4 = 3 0 0 2 3 1 2 2 3 1 0 3 3 1 0 2 1 1 0 2 3

For PUSCH transmissions with a Type 1 or Type 2 configured grant, thenumber of (nominal) repetitions K to be applied to the transmittedtransport block is provided by the indexed row in the time domainresource allocation table if numberofrepetitions is present in thetable; otherwise K is provided by the higher layer configured parametersrepK.

For PUSCH transmissions of PUSCH repetition Type A with a Type 1 or Type2 configured grant, the higher layer parameter repK-RV defines theredundancy version pattern to be applied to the repetitions. If theparameter repK-RV is not provided in the configuredGrantConfig, theredundancy version for uplink transmissions with a configured grant maybe set to 0. Otherwise, for the nth transmission occasion among Krepetitions, n=1, 2, . . . , K, it is associated with(mod(n−1,4)+1)^(th) value in the configured RV sequence. If a configuredgrant configuration is configured withConfiguredgrantconfig-StartingfromRV0 set to “off,” the initialtransmission of a transport block may only start at the firsttransmission occasion of the K repetitions.

Otherwise, the initial transmission of a transport block may start at:the first transmission occasion of the K repetitions if the configuredRV sequence is {0, 2, 3, 1}; any of the transmission occasions of the Krepetitions that are associated with RV=0 if the configured RV sequenceis {0, 3, 0, 3}; and/or any of the transmission occasions of the Krepetitions if the configured RV sequence is {0, 0, 0, 0}, except thelast transmission occasion when K≥8.

For any RV sequence, the repetitions may be terminated aftertransmitting K repetitions, or at the last transmission occasion amongthe K repetitions within the period P, or from the starting symbol ofthe repetition that overlaps with a PUSCH with the same HARQ processscheduled by DCI format 0_0, 0_1, or 0_2, whichever is reached first.The UE is not expected to be configured with the time duration for thetransmission of K repetitions larger than the time duration derived bythe periodicity P. If the UE determines that, for a transmissionoccasion, the number of symbols available for the PUSCH transmission ina slot is smaller than transmission duration L, the UE does not transmitthe PUSCH in the transmission occasion.

For both Type 1 and Type 2 PUSCH transmissions with a configured grant,when K>1, the UE may repeat the TB across the K consecutive slotsapplying the same symbol allocation in each slot. A Type 1 or Type 2PUSCH transmission with a configured grant in a slot is omittedaccording to semi-statically configured and/or dynamically indicated SFIfor uplink and downlink symbols/slots.

For PUSCH transmissions of PUSCH repetition type B with a Type 1 or Type2 configured grant, the higher layer configured parameters repK-RVdefines the redundancy version pattern to be applied to the repetitions.If the parameter repK-RV is not provided in the configuredGrantConfig,the redundancy version for each actual repetition with a configuredgrant may be set to 0. Otherwise, for the nth transmission occasionamong all the actual repetitions (including the actual repetitions thatare omitted) of the K nominal repetitions, it is associated with(mod(n−1,4)+1)^(th) value in the configured RV sequence. If a configuredgrant configuration is configured withConfiguredgrantconfig-StartingfromRV0 set to “off,” the initialtransmission of a transport block may only start at the firsttransmission occasion of the actual repetitions.

Otherwise, the initial transmission of a transport block may start at:the first transmission occasion of the actual repetitions if theconfigured RV sequence is {0, 2, 3, 1}; any of the transmissionoccasions of the actual repetitions that are associated with RV=0 if theconfigured RV sequence is {0, 3, 0, 3}; and/or any of the transmissionoccasions of the actual repetitions if the configured RV sequence is {0,0, 0, 0}, except the actual repetitions within the last nominalrepetition when K≥8.

For any RV sequence, the repetitions may be terminated aftertransmitting K nominal repetitions, or at the last transmission occasionamong the K nominal repetitions within the period P, or from thestarting symbol of a repetition that overlaps with a PUSCH with the sameHARQ process scheduled by DCI format 0_0, 0_1 or 0_2, whichever isreached first. The UE is not expected to be configured with the timeduration for the transmission of K nominal repetitions larger than thetime duration derived by the periodicity P.

A configuration for SPS PDSCH/CG PUSCH can be cell-specific orBWP-specific, wherein a UE can be configured with one or multiple SPSPDSCH/CG PUSCH configuration(s) per cell group/cell/BWP. In case ofmultiple configurations, each configuration can be associated with anindex to distinguish a single SPS PDSCH/CG PUSCH configuration or a“state” to indicate a subset (of size>=1) of SPS PDSCH/CG PUSCHconfiguration(s).

Throughout this disclosure, embodiments are described with respect toSPS PDSCH or CG-PUSCH for brevity, but they are also applicable to PDSCHreceptions, PUSCH transmissions scheduled by respective DCI formats, andPUCCH/SRS transmissions.

Throughout this disclosure, embodiments are also applicable to scenarioswith gNB(s) operating with multiple transmission and reception points(multiple TRPs), or scenarios with UEs having multiple antenna panels/RFchains.

Throughout this disclosure, a design principle is to achieve a dynamicUE behavior for CG PUSCH or SPS PDSCH transmissions in order to addresstime variations in the channel/beam as well as UE mobility whilemaintaining a design principle of CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH to minimize use ofphysical layer signaling such as for reconfiguration or re-activationfor CG/SPS of for scheduling re-transmissions using DCI formats.Accordingly, the gNB can provide the UE with guideline informationregarding some transmission/reception parameters, such as a set ofpossible beams, or a valid set for numbers of repetitions, and enablethe UE to determine transmission/reception parameters within the gNBguidelines, such as a beam from the set of possible beams, or a numberof repetitions from the valid set of numbers of repetitions.

In one embodiment for enhanced beam management for UL CG, a set of beamindications (indications for spatial transmission filter) for a CG PUSCHtransmission can be separate from a set of beam indications for a PUSCHtransmission scheduled by a DCI format.

In one example, CG PUSCH (Type-1 or Type-2) transmissions and dynamicPUSCH transmissions can be separately configured with respective SRSresource sets. In another example, a same SRS resource set is used forboth CG PUSCH transmissions and dynamic PUSCH transmissions and firstand second subsets of SRS resources are used for CG PUSCH transmissionand for dynamic PUSCH transmissions. The first and second subsets of SRSresources may have no common elements. The first and second subsets ofSRS resources can be predetermined in the system specifications orconfigured by UE-common or UE-specific higher layer signalling, or canbe determined based on a formula such as using a first half of the setof SRS resources for the first subset and a second half of the set ofSRS resources for the second subset. In all examples, when a DCI formatthat activates a CG PUSCH Type-2 transmission includes a SRI field orwhen a configuration for a CG PUSCH Type-1 transmission includes a SRI,the UE interprets the SRI indication based on a corresponding SRSresource subset. In one example, a beam indication for a CG PUSCH Type-2transmission also applies to a first CG PUSCH transmission that followsan activation DCI format.

In another example, for a non-codebook based PUSCH transmission, a CGPUSCH (Type-1 or Type-2) transmission and a dynamic PUSCH transmissioncan be separately configured with an associated CSI-RS resource or asubset of associated CSI-RS resources.

In yet another example, when beam indication for a PUSCH transmission isbased on TCI states and/or DL reference signals and/or corresponding QCLassumptions (such as QCL Type-D), a CG PUSCH (Type-1 or Type-2)transmission and a dynamic PUSCH transmission can be separatelyconfigured with a TCI state and/or a DL reference signal and/or acorresponding QCL assumption (or a set of TCI states and/or DL RSsand/or QCL assumptions).

Throughout the present disclosure, the term “beam indication resource”can be defined based on a unified TCI framework for UL and DL beamindication, using a configuration of source/reference RS in the TCIstate configuration/definition. A “beam indication resource” is definedas a DL/UL RS resource or a set/group of DL/UL resources that are usedto indicate a spatial transmission/reception filter for a signal/channeltransmission, or a (DL or UL) TCI state(s) or QCL assumption(s), or anUL TCI state for UL beam indication, or SRS resource(s) or SRS resourceset(s), or associated CSI-RS resource(s) such as for non-codebook-basedPUSCH. In one example, for aperiodic/semi-persistent beam indicationresources, a spatial transmission/reception filter, also refereed to asbeam, for a UE can be updated/overwritten by a DCI format or a MAC-CE,and the UE can use the most recent updated beam at each time instance ortransmission occasion.

In one embodiment for an enhanced timing for beam indication for UL CG,a beam indication resource configured for a CG PUSCH transmission(Type-1 and/or Type-2), such as an SRS resource set or an SRS resource,or an associated CSI-RS resource (or associated CSI-RS resource set), ora TCI state (or a set of TCI states), or (corresponding) QCLassumption(s), such as a QCL assumption Type-D, can include onlyperiodic or semi-persistent resource(s) in time domain and is notexpected to include aperiodic resource(s).

In one example, aperiodic resources(s) can be also included for beamindication of a CG PUSCH (Type-1 and/or Type-2) transmission, such as anSRS resource set, or an SRS resource, or an associated CSI-RS resource(or associated CSI-RS resource set), or a TCI state (or a set/subset ofTCI states), or (corresponding) QCL assumption(s), such as a QCLassumption Type-D.

According to this enhancement, a beam indication for a CG PUSCH (Type-1and/or Type-2) transmission in slot n is associated with the most recenttransmission/reception of the beam indication (DL or UL) resource,wherein a beam indication resource can be one or more of the examplesdescribed above, and wherein the beam indication resource transmissionis prior to the CG PUSCH transmission occasion, possibly additionallyoffset by a UE processing time.

In these embodiments, the time offset can be, for example, anapplication time for beam switching such as a thresholdtimeDurationForQCL based on a UE capability, or a default UE processingtime for PUSCH such as T_(proc,2)′ or T_proc,2 [3GPP TS 38.213 and TS38.214], or a UE processing time for UCI multiplexing, and so on, or apredetermined or configured time. When a MAC-CE command is used foractivation of a CG PUSCH, a UE processing time offset can also include aMAC-CE application latency.

In another example, the beam indication resource transmission/receptionis prior to the PDCCH with the DCI format providing the SRI, such as aPDCCH providing a DCI format activating a CG PUSCH Type-2 transmission.In yet another example, the beam indication resourcetransmission/reception is prior to the CG PUSCH activation, possiblyadditionally offset by a UE processing time such as one or more of thetime offsets described above.

In one example, the indicated SRI value for a CG PUSCH transmission inslot n is associated with the latest transmission of SRS resourceidentified by the SRI, where the SRS resource transmission is prior tothe CG PUSCH transmission occasion, possibly additionally offset by a UEprocessing time. The indicated SRI value can be by higher layer RRCsignalling for Type-1 CG PUSCH or by an SRI field in a DCI formatactivating a CG PUSCH transmission for Type-2 CG PUSCH. A benefit ofsuch an enhancement is that, if the beam/spatial transmission filterused for transmission of a periodic/semi-persistent SRS changes acrossdifferent SRS transmission occasions, then the UL beam for CG PUSCHtransmissions can be accordingly updated.

In another example, the indicated SRI value in slot n is associated withthe most recent transmission of SRS resource identified by the SRIvalue, where the SRS resource (transmission) is prior to a PDCCH withthe DCI format providing the SRI value, that is, a PDCCH with a DCIformat activating a CG PUSCH transmission or a PDSCH providing a MAC-CEcommand activating a CG PUSCH transmission.

In yet another example, an indicated SRI value in slot n is associatedwith the latest transmission on SRS resource identified by the SRIvalue, where the SRS resource (transmission) is prior to the CG PUSCHactivation, possibly additionally offset by a UE processing time, suchas prior to an RRC activation of for a CG PUSCH Type-1 transmission.

For both codebook-based and non-codebook-based transmission, anindicated SRI for a PUSCH transmission occasion that is configured byhigher layers (semi-statically configured to operate according toSubclause 6.1.2.3 of [TS 38.214]) in slot n is associated with the mostrecent transmission of SRS resource(s) identified by the SRI, where theSRS transmission is prior to the PUSCH transmission occasion.

A UE can have different application times for beam determination ofdifferent transmission occasions of a CG PUSCH or SPS PDSCH when the UEapplies a beam direction of a DL RS associated with the CG PUSCH or SPSPDSCH. Currently, the UE determines the beam direction for a CG PUSCHtransmission or SPS PDSCH reception immediately before a reception of aDCI format or RRC configuration that activates the CG PUSCH or SPSPDSCH, and uses the same beam direction for all future CG PUSCH/SPSPDSCH transmission occasions. The present embodiment enables a sameconfigured or activated DL RS to be used for all future transmissionoccasions, same as current design, but for each CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCHtransmission occasion the UE can use an updated beam direction based ona DL RS reception before each transmission occasion (instead ofmaintaining the same beam direction as used at the time of CG PUSCH/SPSPDSCH activation.

FIG. 6A illustrates examples beam management operation 600 for UL CGPUSCH according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodimentof the beam management operation 600 shown in FIG. 6A is forillustration only. FIG. 6B illustrates examples beam managementoperation 650 for UL CG PUSCH according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. An embodiment of the beam management operation 650 shown inFIG. 6B is for illustration only.

Common between FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are described first. Beam indicationfor a CG PUSCH transmission is provided by an example beam indication RSresource, such as SRI, TCI state, or QCL assumption, and examplerealizations in some time instances are shown in 610, 612, 614, 616, and618. The UE receives at a certain time an indication for an activationof a CG PUSCH transmission 620. The indication can be provided by higherlayer signalling or by a DCI format. A configuration for a CG PUSCHtransmission includes periodic CG PUSCH transmission occasions 640, 642,644. The UE transmits on each CG PUSCH transmission occasion using theprovided beam indication.

FIG. 6A shows a case in which the UE transmits CG PUSCH with a beamfollowing a realization of the beam indication RS resource that occurredright before the CG PUSCH activation time (as shown in 610) and uses thesame realization for all transmission occasions, as shown in 650, 652,655. In FIG. 6B, the UE transmits a CG PUSCH with a beam following arealization of the latest beam indication RS resource prior to the CGPUSCH activation time (as shown in 610) and uses the same realizationfor all transmission occasions 650, 652, 655. Conversely, in FIG. 6B,the UE transmits a CG PUSCH with a beam following a realization of thelatest beam indication RS resource prior to the CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion and uses a beam realization 612 for CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion #1 660, a beam realization 614 for CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion #2 663, and a beam realization 618 for CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion #3 666.

In one example, when periodic or semi-persistent resource(s) areconfigured for beam indication for CG PUSCH Type-1 and/or Type-2transmissions, a most recent transmission of the resource(s) refers to amost recent transmission occasion of the corresponding periodic orsemi-persistent resource(s). In another example, when aperiodicresource(s) are configured for beam indication for CG PUSCH Type-1and/or Type-2 transmissions, a most recent transmission of theresource(s) refers to a most recent transmission occasion of thecorresponding resource(s) following a PDCCH reception providing a DCIformat triggering a transmission on the resources, or a reception of apredetermined/configured DL RS, and so on.

In one example, when a spatial transmission/reception filter for a beamindication resource for CG PUSCH Type-1 and/or Type-2 transmissions isupdated by a DCI format or a MAC-CE command, a most recent transmissionof the beam indication resource(s) before a CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion or an activation time of a CG PUSCH transmission, possiblyadditionally offset by a UE processing time offset, refers to atransmission on the beam indication resource(s) using a correspondinglatest spatial transmission/reception filter.

In one example, if DCI format 0_0, or DCI format 0_2 with zero bits forSRI field, is used to activate a CG PUSCH Type-2 transmission, the UEneeds to use a default beam (spatial filter) for the PUSCH transmission,such as a beam used for PUCCH transmissions or PDCCH receptions in apredetermined or configured CORESET, while considering timing aspectsfor the default CG PUCCH beam similar to the above solutions for thecase when the CG PUSCH beam follows an SRS beam or a beam correspondingto a DL RS or TCI state.

The spatial filter for a PUSCH transmission is associated with the mostrecent transmission or reception of reference RS(s) identified by thespatial relation, where the reference RS transmission or reception isprior to a PDCCH reception providing DCI format 0_0. The spatialrelation at a later PUSCH transmission occasion, for a PUSCHtransmission activated by a DCI format 0_0, is associated with the mostrecent transmission or reception of reference RS(s) identified by thespatial relation, where the reference RS transmission or reception isprior to the PUSCH transmission occasion.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method 700 for a beam determinationwith enhanced timing for a CG PUSCH transmission according toembodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method 700shown in FIG. 7 is for illustration only. One or more of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 7 can be implemented in specialized circuitryconfigured to perform the noted functions or one or more of thecomponents can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

A UE receives a configuration and an activation for a CG PUSCH (Type-1or Type-2) transmission. The configuration includes a beam indication RSresource, such as a SRI, or TCI state, or QCL assumption 710. Then, foreach transmission occasion of the CG PUSCH, the UE determines the latesttransmission/reception of the beam indication RS resource prior to theCG PUSCH transmission occasion (possibly additionally offset by a UEprocessing time) 720. Accordingly, the UE determines a spatialtransmission filter for CG PUSCH corresponding to the determined latesttransmission/reception of the beam indication RS resource 730. Finally,the UE transmits on the CG PUSCH transmission occasion using thedetermined spatial transmission filter 740. The UE determines whetherthe UE has received a release command for a CG PUSCH, such as by a DCIformat, or a MAC-CE, or RRC signaling, 750. If the UE has not received arelease command, the UE repeats the same behavior at a next CG PUSCHtransmission occasion starting from 720. If the UE has received a CGPUSCH release command, the UE stops transmitting CG PUSCH. The UE alsoprovides HARQ-ACK information for the CG PUSCH release 760.

In one embodiment for CG PUSCH with multiple beam indication resources,a CG PUSCH configuration (Type-1 or Type-2) can include multiple beamindication resources, such as one or multiple SRS resource set(s), orone or multiple SRS resource(s), or one or multiple associated CSI-RSresource(s) or associated CSI-RS resource set(s), or one or multiple TCIstate(s) (or set(s) of TCI states), or one or multiple (corresponding)QCL assumption(s), such as a QCL assumption Type-D, wherein an actualbeam/spatial transmission filter used for a CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion is based on a selection from the multiple beam indicationresources.

In one example, a UE can increase a CG PUSCH reception reliability andcoverage by communicating with multiple TRPs. For example, based on UEmobility and orientation, the UE can communicate with one TRP in sometransmission occasions, communicate with another TRP in othertransmission occasions. In addition, the UE may be operating withmultiple antenna panels and can transmit with beams from differentpanels. To enable such operation, the CG PUSCH beam/SRS/UL-TCIcorresponding to different TRPs and/or panels can be reconfigured. A setof beams/SRSs/UL-TCIs can be configured to the UE and the UE can selectone of the beams as the beam for CG PUSCH transmission for a period oftime such as one or a number of transmission occasions.

In one embodiment, for a UE selection method, the actual UL beam/spatialtransmission filter is selected based on UE measurements on theconfigured group of beam indication resources such as, for example, theset of resources corresponding to SRIs/TCI states. A benefit is that theUE can autonomously change a spatial filter for a CG PUSCH transmissionand typically improve a link quality. Herein, a measurement refers to ameasurement of one or more of: layer 1/layer 3-reference signal receivedpower (L1-/L3-RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI), signal to noise ratio (SNR), signal tointerference ratio (SINR), capacity, throughout, and so on.

The UE can report to a serving gNB an index for the selected beamindication resource/SRI/TCI state, for example, using a CG-UCI elementmultiplexed on the CG PUSCH or by selecting corresponding CG PUSCHtransmission parameters, such as DMRS patterns/sequences/ports/cyclicshifts/scrambling/cover codes and so on, based on a predetermined, orconfigured by higher layers, mapping of such CG PUSCH transmissionparameters to beam indexes.

In another example, a default beam indication resource, such as adefault SRI/TCI state having the lowest/highest SRI/TCI state index or aconfigured default beam indication resource, can be used for a CG PUSCHtransmission, when there is no transmission/reception/measurement of thebeam indication resources over a time interval that is larger than aconfigured or predetermined value, so that old measurements areconsidered as inaccurate, or when the UE does not multiplex CG-UCI onthe CG PUSCH.

In one embodiment, for a gNB selection method, the activation DCI orMAC-CE command for a UL CG Type-2 and/or a re-activation/modificationDCI or MAC-CE command for a UL CG Type-1 or Type-2 indicates one of themultiple SRIs/TCIs as the actual beam/spatial transmission filter to beused for the UL CG PUSCH.

In one example, in case the gNB decides to change the beam for UL CG, aDCI is sent to the UE to release the UL CG, and then (later) afollow-up/next activation DCI is sent to the activate the UL CG withanother beam indication resource/SRI/TCI from the set of multipleconfigured beam indication resources/SRIs/TCIs.

In another example, a DCI format or a MAC-CE command activating a CGPUSCH Type-2 transmission indicates one of the multiple SRIs/TCI statesas an actual beam/spatial transmission filter for the CG PUSCHtransmission. In one example, when the gNB changes the spatial filterfor the CG PUSCH transmission, the gNB can provide a DCI format to theUE to release the CG PUSCH configuration and subsequently provide anactivation DCI format to the UE to activate the CG PUSCH with anotherbeam indication resource/SRI/TCI state from a set of configured beamindication resources/SRIs/TCI states. In another example, a DCI formator a MAC-CE command indicates an update in the beam indicationresource/SRI/TCI state while the UE continues to use the CG PUSCHconfiguration without a prior release. In yet another example, for a CGPUSCH Type-1 configured with multiple beam indication resources, aninitial beam indication resource such as an initial SRI/TCI state, thatcan correspond to a lowest/highest index SRI/TCI state or a configuredinitial beam indication resource, is used for a CG PUSCH transmissionprior to receiving a DCI format or a MAC-CE command that indicates anupdate in the beam indication resource/SRI/TCI state. In a furtherexample, the gNB can indicate a beam/spatial filter for a CG PUSCHtransmission by indicating one of the multiple SRIs/TCI states as thebeam/spatial transmission filter for the CG PUSCH transmission. Theindication can be based on a preferred beam reported by the UE. Apreferred beam can be derived based on multiple CSI reports from the UEfor respective multiple configured beam indication resources thatindicate a received beam quality, or on an indication by the UE of apreferred reception beam for example by a CG-UCI multiplexed on the CGPUSCH.

In one embodiment, for a combination of UE and gNB methods, a UEtransmits on CG PUSCH resources using a spatial transmission filter/beamindicated by a gNB, for example via a default beam indication resourceor a beam indication resource indicated by an activation DCI format orMAC-CE command. When, based on UE measurements, a quality of thegNB-indicated beam indication resource is lower than apredetermined/configured threshold, the UE can switch to another beamfrom the multiple configured beam indication resources, for examplebased on the UE measurements of alternative beam indication resource(s)and choosing the strongest beam. According to this method, if the UEswitches from a gNB-indicated beam to a new beam, the UE can indicatethe new beam to the gNB, for example using options provided in the firstmethod above. In a related example, a UE configured with multiple beamindication resources can operate using a method as described inembodiments discussed below.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of a method 800 for an enhanced beamdetermination using multiple beams for a CG PUSCH transmission accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method800 shown in FIG. 8 is for illustration only. One or more of thecomponents illustrated in FIG. 8 can be implemented in specializedcircuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more ofthe components can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives a configuration and an activation for a CG PUSCH (Type-1or Type-2) transmission including multiple beam indication RS resources810. Then, the UE receives an indication from a serving gNB for a beamindication RS resource, from the multiple beam indication RS resources,to use as the CG PUSCH beam/spatial filter in a CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion 820. The UE applies the beam indication RS resource todetermine the spatial filter for the CG PUSCH transmission on every CGPUSCH transmission occasion until the UE receives a new by the servinggNB. Then, for each CG PUSCH transmission occasion, the UE determines aUE-preferred beam based on measurements of the multiple beam indicationRS resources 830. The UE determines whether or not the UE-preferred beamis same as the beam indicated by the gNB 840. If the UE-preferred beamis same as the gNB-indicated beam, the UE transmits on the CG PUSCHtransmission occasion using the gNB-indicated beam 850. If theUE-preferred beam is different from the gNB-indicated beam, the UEindicates to the gNB the UE-preferred beam 860. In a first option, theUE transmits on the CG PUSCH transmission occasion using thegNB-indicated beam 850. In a second option, the UE transmits on the CGPUSCH transmission occasion using the UE-preferred beam 870. The UEdetermined whether the UE has received a release command from the gNBfor CG PUSCH 880. If the UE has not received a release command, the UErepeats the same behavior at a next CG PUSCH transmission occasionstarting from 820. If the UE has received a CG PUSCH release command,the UE stops CG PUSCH transmission attempts on the CG PUSCH resources890. In one example, HARQ-ACK is provided even when the UE does notreceive the release based on DAIs of previous and future DCIs that theUE detects.

Similar enhancements for beam management and beam indication as for a CGPUSCH transmission can apply for a PUCCH transmission from a UE. Forexample, the UE can be provided multiple beam indication resources for aPUCCH resource. In a first option, a beam/spatial filter for the PUCCHtransmission can be indicated by the gNB, for example using a MAC-CE ora DCI format. In a second option, the UE can determine the spatialfilter for the PUCCH transmission, for example based on UE measurementsfor different PUCCH beam indication resources that can be provided byhigher layer parameter PUCCH-Spatial-Relation-Info, and the UE can thentransmit the PUCCH with the selected PUCCH beam. In a third option, theUE uses a spatial filter for a PUCCH transmission that is indicated bythe gNB, through a DCI format or a MAC-CE command, unless the linkquality the UE measures for a corresponding beam indication RS resourceis below a configured or predetermined threshold, and then the UE canselect a spatial filter for the PUCCH transmission among the configuredbeam indication resources.

In one example, regardless of which method to follow for an UL CGconfigured with multiple beam indication resources (e.g., first orsecond or third method described above), if a UE is operating withmultiple UE antenna panels/RF chains/port groups/transmission entity,and so on, for an overlapping/simultaneous multi-panel transmission,then the UE may be configured, for each UL CG configuration Type-1and/or Type-2, with multiple beams/beam indication resources associatedwith each UE panel/transmission entity. For example, one or multiplebeam groups or beam indication resource groups can be configured, eachbeam group corresponds to beams for a single UE panel/transmissionentity, and/or corresponds to beams for a combination of multiple UEpanels/transmission entities, and/or a combination thereof. In such acase, the operation for selecting the actual beam for UL CG transmission(e.g., one or more of first and second and third method described above)on each UE panel/transmission entity is performed either individuallyand/or separately per UE panel/transmission entity, or is performedjointly across all UE panels/transmission entities.

In one example, if a UE is capable of simultaneously transmitting frommultiple antenna panels or groups of antenna ports, the above methodsare applicable per antenna panel or group of antenna ports.Alternatively, the UE can determine a single spatial filter for a CGPUSCH transmission jointly across all UE panels.

In one embodiment for enhanced beam management and indication for DLSPS, enhanced beam management and indication methods, for example as inembodiments E-1, E-1-1, E-1-2 for a CG PUSCH transmission, can alsoapply to a SPS PDSCH transmission. Some examples are provided below,while more examples can be constructed based on the analogy between SPSPDSCH and CG PUSCH. Herein, a SPS PDSCH can be a legacy SPS PDSCH, alsoreferred to as SPS PDSCH Type-2, having an activation DCI format providean indication for reception parameters, or a new type of SPS PDSCH,referred to as SPS PDSCH Type-1 as described earlier in this disclosure,having higher layer (RRC) signalling provide an indication forcorresponding reception parameters.

In one example, a set of beam indication resources for SPS PDSCH can beseparate from a set of beam indication resources for a PDSCH scheduledby a DCI format. In a related example, a beam indication resource forSPS PDSCH can be a TCI state or a (corresponding) QCL assumption, suchas a QCL assumption Type-D, or a DL RS such as an SSB or a CSI-RSresource or a PRS resource, or an UL RS such as an SRS that is providedby RRC configuration or by an activation DCI format, or a MAC-CEcommand.

In one embodiment for enhanced timing for beam indication for DL SPS, abeam indication resource configured for a SPS PDSCH (Type-1 or Type-2)can include only periodic or semi-persistent resource(s) in time domainaccording to a first option and can additionally include aperiodic beamindication resources(s) according to a second option. A beam indicationfor a SPS PDSCH (Type-1 or Type-2) reception in slot n is associatedwith the most recent transmission/reception of the beam indication (DLor UL) resource. In a first option, the beam indication resourcetransmission/reception is prior to a SPS PDSCH reception occasion,possibly additionally offset by a UE processing time. In a secondoption, the beam indication resource transmission/reception is prior toa reception time for the PDCCH/PDSCH providing the beam indication, suchas an activation DCI format or a MAC-CE command. In a second option, thebeam indication resource transmission/reception is prior to the CG PUSCHactivation, possibly additionally offset by a UE processing time. A UEprocessing time offset can be, for example, an application time for beamswitching such as a threshold timeDurationForQCL based on a UEcapability, or a default UE processing time for PUSCH, T_(proc,2)′ [3GPPTS 38.213 and TS 38.214], and so on, or a predetermined/configured time.Furthermore, in the case of using a MAC-CE command for beam indication,there can be a (higher-layer) UE processing latency and application timebefore the MAC-CE command is applied.

In one example, when periodic or semi-persistent resource(s) are usedfor beam indication for SPS PDSCH Type-1 and/or Type-2, a most recenttransmission of the resource(s) refer to a most recent transmissionoccasion of the corresponding periodic or semi-persistent resource(s).In another example, when aperiodic resource(s) are configured for beamindication for SPS PDSCH Type-1 and/or Type-2, a most recenttransmission/reception of the resource(s) refers to a most recenttransmission/reception occasion of the corresponding resource(s)following a dynamic trigger of the resource(s) such as by a DCI format,or a reception of a predetermined/configured DL RS, and so on.

In one example, when a spatial transmission/reception filter for a beamindication resource (e.g., semi-persistent or aperiodic resource(s)) forDL SPS Type-1 and/or Type-2 is (semi-) dynamically updated/overwrittenbased on a DCI or MAC-CE command, a most recent transmission/receptionof the beam indication resource(s) before a certain cut-off time, suchas a DL SPS reception occasion and/or a DL SPS activation time, possiblyminus a UE processing time offset, refers to a transmission/reception ofthe beam indication resource(s) using the corresponding most recentlyupdated/overwritten spatial transmission/reception filter before thecut-off time, wherein any applicable UE processing time offset can bepossibly also considered, e.g., as described in the examples above.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method 900 for a beam determinationwith enhanced timing for SPS PDSCH according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. An embodiment of the method 900 shown in FIG. 9 isfor illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIG.9 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform thenoted functions or one or more of the components can be implemented byone or more processors executing instructions to perform the notedfunctions.

A UE receives configuration and activation for SPS PDSCH (Type-1 orType-2) including a configuration and/or indication for a beamindication RS resource (such as SRI, TCI, QCL assumption) 910. Then, foreach reception occasion of the SPS PDSCH, the UE determines the mostrecent transmission/reception of the beam indication RS resource priorto the SPS PDSCH reception occasion (possibly additionally offset by aUE processing time) 920. Accordingly, the UE determines a spatialreception filter for SPS PDSCH corresponding to the determined mostrecent transmission/reception of the beam indication RS resource 930.Finally, the UE receives on the SPS PDSCH reception occasion using thedetermined spatial reception filter 940. The UE determines whether theUE received a release command for SPS PDSCH 950. If the UE has notreceived a release command, the UE repeats the procedure starting from920 for a next SPS PDSCH reception occasion. If the UE has received aSPS PDSCH release command, the UE stops SPS PDSCH reception attempts onthe SPS PDSCH resources and provides HARQ-ACK for SPS PDSCH release 960.

In one embodiment for DL SPS PDSCH with multiple beam indicationresources, a SPS PDSCH configuration (Type-1 or Type-2) can includemultiple beam indication resources, wherein a beam/spatial receptionfilter used for a SPS PDSCH reception occasion is based on a selectionfrom the multiple beam indication resources. In one example, anactivation DCI format or MAC-CE command for a SPS PDSCH Type-1 or Type-2indicates one of the multiple beam indication resources as thebeam/spatial reception filter for a SPS PDSCH reception.

In another example, for a SPS Type-1 configured with multiple beamindication resources, an initial beam indication resource such as aninitial TCI state or QCL assumption, such as the one with alowest/highest index TCI state or a configured initial beam indicationresource, is used for SPS PDSCH reception after an RRC-based activationof the SPS PDSCH Type-1 configuration, and before the UE receives afirst DCI format or MAC-CE command that indicates an update in the beamindication resource/TCI state/QCL assumption.

In a further example, a serving gNB can indicate a selection of a beamfor SPS PDSCH via explicit or implicit indication of the SPS PDSCH beam,such as via multiplexing the selected beam as a control informationelement with data information in the SPS PDSCH, via a configured orpredetermined link of the SPS PDSCH beam to other SPS PDSCH receptionparameters, such as DMRS patterns/sequences/ports/cyclicshifts/scrambling/cover codes and so on. A link of the multiple SPSPDSCH beam indication resource(s) and the multiple DMRS features can bepredetermined in the system specifications or can be based on apredetermined rule/formula such as mapping a first configured DMRSfeature to a first beam indication resource, a second configured DMRSfeature to a second beam indication resource, and so on, and/or can beconfigured by RRC.

In yet another example, the UE can provide the gNB with its preferredreception beam for SPS PDSCH, for example based on UE measurements ofthe multiple configured beam indication resources, wherein the UEindication of the preferred beam can be either implicit, such as byproviding a CSI report for the multiple configured beam indicationresources that indicate the received beam quality at the UE, orexplicit, such as by providing an indication of the preferred receptionbeam, for example by multiplexing the indication in a PUCCH transmissiontogether with HARQ-ACK information or a CSI report.

In a further example, the UE receives a SPS PDSCH using a spatialreception filter/beam as indicated by a gNB-indicated beam indicationresource, such as by an activation DCI format or a MAC-CE command. TheUE can provide the gNB with a preferred reception beam when a linkquality for the beam indicated by the gNB is below a configuredthreshold based on a measurement such as one or more of: L1-/L3-RSRP,RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, SINR, capacity, throughout, and so on. In a relatedexample, a UE configured with multiple beam indication resources canoperate using a beam-failure-recovery method as described embodimentsdiscussed below.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1000 for an enhanced beamdetermination using multiple beams for SPS PDSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method 1000shown in FIG. 10 is for illustration only. One or more of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 10 can be implemented in specialized circuitryconfigured to perform the noted functions or one or more of thecomponents can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives configuration and activation from a serving gNB for aSPS PDSCH (Type-1 or Type-2) including multiple beam indication RSresources 1010. Then, the UE receives an indication from the gNB for abeam indication RS resource, from the multiple beam indicationresources, to use as the SPS PDSCH beam in a SPS PDSCH receptionoccasion 1020. The UE can use a beam indication RS resource for morethan one SPS PDSCH reception occasions until the UE receives a new beamindication RS resource by the gNB.

Then, for each SPS PDSCH reception occasion, the UE determines aUE-preferred beam based on measurements of the multiple beam indicationRS resources 1030. The UE determines whether a UE-preferred beam is asame as the gNB-indicated beam 1040. If the UE-preferred beam is a sameas the gNB-indicated beam, the UE receives on the SPS PDSCH receptionoccasion using the gNB-indicated beam 1050. If the UE-preferred beam isdifferent from the gNB-indicated beam, the UE indicates to the gNB theUE-preferred beam 1060, and the UE receives on the SPS PDSCH receptionoccasion using the gNB-indicated beam 1050. The UE determines whetherthe UE has received a release command for SPS PDSCH 1070. If the UE hasnot received a release command, the UE repeats the same behaviorstarting from 1020 at the next SPS reception occasion. If the UE hasreceived a SPS PDSCH release command, the UE stops PDSCH receptionattempts on the SPS PDSCH resources and provides HARQ-ACK for SPS PDSCHrelease 1080.

In one example, similar enhancements for beam management and beamindication as for SPS PDSCH reception can apply to PUCCH transmissions.For example, a selection of a beam/spatial filter for PUCCH transmissioncan be indicated by a serving gNB via a MAC-CE or a DCI format. Forexample, a selection of a PUCCH transmission beam/spatial filter can bedetermined by the UE, for example based on UE measurement of differentPUCCH beam indication resources, as configured by higher layers. Forexample, a PUCCH beam/spatial filter selection can be indicated in a DCIformat triggering the PUCCH transmission or by a MAC-CE command from thegNB as baseline, unless the quality of the gNB-indicated beam/spatialfilter is below a threshold and then the UE can select a PUCCH beambased measurements of the PUCCH beam indication resources.

In one example, if a UE is capable of simultaneously receiving frommultiple antenna panels or groups of antenna ports, the above methodsare applicable per antenna panel or group of antenna ports.Alternatively, the UE can determine a single spatial filter for a SPSPDSCH transmission jointly across all UE panels.

In one embodiment for a UE configured for CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCHtransmission/reception with a current spatial transmission/receptionspatial filter (beam) that the UE determines to have a link quality thatis smaller than a predetermined or configured threshold, the UE canreplace the current spatial filter with a new spatial filter, when any,that the UE determines as having a link quality that is larger than orequal to the threshold. A benefit is for the UE to be able to continueusing the CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH resources even after a failure of a currentspatial filter. According to solutions provided below, the benefit canbe achieved with reduced overhead, such as without associated gNBsignalling.

According to this embodiment, when a UE is provided a CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCHconfiguration that includes one or multiple beam indication resources,and (a) a subset of beam indication resource(s) are determined to haveradio link quality smaller than a predetermined/configured threshold, or(b) a subset beam indication resource(s) have same QCL properties, suchas QCL Type-D, or have same RS index with DL RSs or UL RSs that the UEmonitors for a link failure recovery procedure and are determined tohave radio link quality smaller than a predetermined/configuredthreshold, the UE does not expect to use the subset of beam indicationresource(s) for CG PUSCH transmission/SPS PDSCH reception. In one optionthe UE uses other remaining beam indication resources, if any. Inanother option, the UE determines a new beam indication resource basedon a link failure recovery procedure or based on a new link failureprocedure for CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH. In a related example, a new beamindication resource is a new candidate beam from the multiple beamindication resources with radio link quality that is smaller than orequal to the predetermined/configured threshold. In one example,separate Q_in/Q_out thresholds or separate CSI-RS for measurements canbe configured, compared to the legacy BFR operation.

In the present disclosure, a beam indication resource for CG PUSCH/SPSPDSCH can be one or more of the following: SRS resource set(s), SRSresource(s), (associated) CSI-RS resource(s) or (associated) CSI-RSresource set(s), TCI state(s) or set(s) of TCI states, (corresponding)QCL assumption(s), such as a QCL assumption Type-D, DL RS such as SSBresource(s) or CSI-RS resource(s) or PRS resource(s). A spatialtransmission/reception filter for a beam indication resource can beprovided by RRC signalling and can be updated by an activation DCIformat or a MAC-CE command. Additionally, herein, a measurement refersto a measurement of one or more of: L1-/L3-RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, SINR,capacity, throughout, and so on.

In another example, a UE expects an =activation DCI or a MAC-CE commandto indicate new beams when the UE determines that some beam indicationresource(s) for CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH is detected to have failed (or, to befailing or have link quality that is smaller than apredetermined/configured threshold or when some beam indicationresource(s) have same QCL properties, such as QCL Type-D, or have sameRS index with DL RSs or UL RSs that the UE monitors for a link failurerecovery procedure.

In another example, a UE does not expect to transmit CG PUSCH/receiveSPS PDSCH using a subset of beams with a link quality that is smallerthan a predetermined threshold until the UE receives an activation DCIformat or a MAC-CE command, or completes a link failure recovery(procedure that replaces the subset of beams with new beams having linkquality that is larger than or equal to the predetermined/configuredthreshold. In one example, a UE is not expected to transmit CGPUSCH/receive SPS PDSCH using beam indication resource(s) that the UEdetermines to have link quality that is smaller than thepredetermined/configured threshold or have same QCL properties, such asQCL Type-D, or same RS index with DL RS(s) or UL RS(s) that the UEmonitors for a link failure recovery procedure and the UE determines tohave link quality that is smaller than the predetermined/configuredthreshold. In yet another example, the UE is expected to stoptransmitting CG PUSCH/receiving SPS PDSCH using beams with link qualitythat is smaller than the predetermined/configured threshold after apredetermined/configured [N] number of symbols, such as N=0 or N=14 orN=28, after a time when the UE determines the beams to have link qualitythat is smaller than the predetermined/configured threshold, wherein theSCS configuration for the [N] symbols is the smallest of the SCSconfigurations of the active DL BWP for a PDCCH receptionwithin/following a link recovery procedure and of the active DL BWP(s)of serving cell(s).

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1100 for a beam failurerecovery like procedure for CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH according to embodimentsof the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method 1100 shown inFIG. 11 is for illustration only. One or more of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 11 can be implemented in specialized circuitryconfigured to perform the noted functions or one or more of thecomponents can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for a CG PUSCH or an SPSPDSCH (Type-1 or Type-2) including one or multiple beam indication RSresources, 1110. Then, the UE checks whether all beam indication RSresource(s) are failed (according to a predetermined metric, e.g.,L1-RSRP), 1120. If no, the UE continues to use the CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCHresources using one or some of the alive beams (e.g., as per gNBindication and/or UE selection), 1130. But, if all beam indication RSresource(s) are failed, then the UE checks whether a release command forCG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH is received (possibly after a certain time offset) orwhether a gNB-indication is received regarding alternative beams, 1140.

If yes, the UE releases the CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH resource, or the UEcontinues to use CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH resources with gNB-indicatedalternative beams, respectively, 1150. But, if the UE has receivedneither a release command for CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH nor a gNB-indicationregarding alternative beams, then the UE determines alternative beamsusing measurements of new candidate beams, 1160. Next, the UE indicatesthe determined alternative beams to the gNB, 1170. And finally, the UEcontinues to use CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH using the determined alternativebeams, 1180. (Note that, operations 1170 and 1180 can be performed in asingle step/action).

In one example, when all beam indication resource(s) for an UL CG/DL SPSconfiguration for a UE are failed (or failing) and/or QCL'ed (e.g., QCLType-D) with and/or have same RS index with DL or UL RS(s) that aremonitored for a link failure recovery (a.k.a., BFR) procedure and aredetected to have failed (or to be failing), then the UE is expected to(autonomously) release the UL CG/DL SPS configuration, even withoutreceiving a DCI or MAC-CE command indicating UL CG/DL SPS release (or ifthe UE does not receive a DCI or MAC-CE command indicating UL CG/DL SPSrelease after [N′] symbols or time units from the aforementioned beamfailure detection, where N′≥0), possibly unless the UE receives are-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command indicating newalternative beams after [N″] symbols or time units from theaforementioned beam failure detection, where N″≥0 and N″≤N′). In arelated example, the UE provides an indication to the gNB when the UE(autonomously) releases the UL CG/DL SPS configuration due to failure ofall configured beam indication resources.

In one example, at least some of the above procedures apply at leastwhen beam indication resources for UL/DL SPS are periodic in time.

In one example, when a “failed” CG PUSCH beam is not among the beamsthat the UE is configured to measure for BFR detection, but is QCL witha beam monitored for BFR detection that is already failed, for examplewhen a CG PUSCH beam is narrow and a BFR detection beam is wide andcovers the CG PUSCH beam, then the UE replaces any beam including any CGPUSCH beam that is QCL with a failed BFR beam with the new candidate BFRbeam q_0 until the gNB provides an indication for new beams, includingbeams for CG PUSCH.

In one example, when a “failed” CG PUSCH beam is not among the beamsmonitored for BFR detection, but is QCL with a beam monitored for BFRdetection that is not failed, for example when a CG PUSCH beam is narrowand failed but the BFR detection beam is wide and has not failed, or ifthe “failed” CG PUSCH beam is not QCL with any beams monitored for BFRdetection, then the UE does not transmit CG PUSCH on the failed beamuntil gNB provides an indication of new beams for CG PUSCH. The UE canalso be allowed, for example by configuration from the gNB, toautonomously release the CG PUSCH if the gNB does not provide new beamsfor CG PUSCH within a configured time window or the UE can be allowed toinitiate a BFR procedure for the CG PUSCH beams.

In one embodiment for an enhanced repetition mechanism for UL CG, a UEperforms an UL CG transmission with a number [K] of repetitions, whereinthe UE can determine a different number [K] of repetitions for differenttransmission occasions of an UL CG, e.g., based on UE measurements ofcorresponding reference signals and possibly within a gNB-indicatedrange of valid numbers for the number [K] of repetitions.

In the legacy UL CG repetition approach, the number of repetitions iseither semi-statically RRC configured for UL CG Type-1 or is indicatedin the activating DCI for UL CG Type-2; and either way once indicated,either way may apply to all transmission occasions of the UL CG (untilthe UL CG is released by a releasing/deactivating DCI or MAC-CE commandand/or until the UL CG transmission parameters are updated by are-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command).

Further, according to legacy UL CG repetition method(s), in the typicalcase that the beam/channel condition is changing over time, it is ofcourse possible to keep deactivating/releasing/modifying an UL CG withan inappropriate/outdated value for number of repetitions and then(re-)activating the UL CG again with an appropriate updated/modifiedvalue for the number of repetitions. In addition, in the case that an ULCG transmission is detected by the gNB (e.g., DMRS is detected), but thegNB is not able to successfully decode the TB(s) in the CG PUSCH, evenwith the configured number of repetitions, the gNB can schedule aretransmission for sending a DCI, or can send a HARQ-NACK e.g. in a DFI,which may additionally include an adjustment to the number ofrepetitions. Therefore, such legacy approach to UL CG repetition entails(potentially significant) overhead to schedule retransmissions orprovide HARQ feedback or even release the UL CG configuration.

In one example, the first and second number of repetitions correspondingto the first and second spatial transmission filters or beams areprovided by the gNB, such as for example by one or two fields in a DCIformat that activates the CG PUSCH Type-2 or the RRC configuration forCG PUSCH Type-1.

A benefit of this embodiment is to have varying/dynamic change—withlittle/no extra control overhead and even with saving signallingoverhead—to the number of repetitions for UL CG PUSCH similar to dynamic(DCI-based) PUSCH, where each dynamically scheduled transmission followsa scheduling DCI to determine the number of repetitions. Therefore, thisis an enhancement over the legacy approach to UL CG repetition. Theprovided enhancement avoids most of aforementioned signalling/controloverhead for updating the number of UL CG repetitions based on thebeam/link/channel condition, by allowing the UE to autonomouslydetermine the number of repetitions for UL CG.

Additionally, this embodiment provides the gNB with a flexibility to useany already reserved resources for UL CG transmission, that are nowindicated free and available based on this embodiment, to be used forscheduling other UL/DL transmissions for the same UE and/or other UE(s),thereby increasing the resource efficiency.

According to this embodiment, a UE is RRC configured with a maximumnumber [K_max] of repetitions and a minimum/typical number [K_min] ofrepetitions for an UL CG configuration, wherein the maximum number[K_max] of repetitions corresponds to a maximum resource reservation bythe gNB for the UL CG transmissions of the UE, so that collisions withother DL/UL transmissions can be avoided, while minimum/typical number[K_min] of repetitions corresponds to a minimum resource reservation toensure a minimum/nominal/typical reliability performance (e.g., initialBLER before HARQ retransmissions).

In one example, a set of values (possibly from a predetermined super-setof values) are RRC configured separately for each of [K_max] and [K_min]and then an activation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE commandprovides the actual selection of the values from the set of RRCconfigured sets. In another example, the UE can be configured with astep size parameter [step_K] for the allowed set of UE-selected numberof repetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion, e.g., with K_min=2and K_max=8 and step_K=2, the allowed set of UE-selected number ofrepetitions is {2, 4, 6, 8}, while with a step_K=1, the allowed set ofUE-selected number of repetitions is {2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}. Theseparameters provide a guidance from the gNB on how the UE is allowed toselect the actual number of UL CG repetitions.

In one example, instead of two RRC configuration parameters [K_max] and[K_min], the UE is only configured with a single RRC configurationparameter [K] along with a scaling factor, say [scale_K], wherein in oneoption, the RRC configured [K] actually captures a minimum/typicalnumber of UL CG repetitions and the scaling factor provides a factor bywhich the UE is allowed to increase the number of UL CG repetitions,e.g., [scale_K] is RRC configured from a predetermined set such as {1,1.2, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 1.8, 2, 2.5, 3, 4} or a subset/variation thereof,while in another option, the RRC configured [K] actually captures amaximum number of UL CG repetitions and the scaling factor provides aratio or percentage by which the UE is allowed to decrease the number ofUL CG repetitions, e.g., [scale_K] is RRC configured from apredetermined set such as {1, 0.9, 0.8, 0.75, 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.25}or a subset/variation thereof.

In both options of the aforementioned example, it is always assumed thatthe multiplication of [K] and [scale_K] results in an integer value,otherwise a rounding/floor/ceiling operation is used. In one example, aset of values (possibly from a predetermined super-set of values) areRRC configured separately for each of [K] and [scale_K] and then anactivation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command provides theactual selection of the values from the set of RRC configured sets. Thescaling factor parameter provides a guidance from the gNB on how the UEis allowed to select the actual number of UL CG repetitions.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example operation 1200 of enhanced repetitionscheme for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of the present disclosure.An embodiment of the operation 1200 shown in FIG. 12 is for illustrationonly.

In this embodiment, the UE receives an activation command (via, e.g.,DCI or MAC-CE or RRC) for a CG PUSCH configuration, 1210, along with aconfiguration/indication for allowed number of repetitions e.g., {1, 2,4}. Each CG transmission occasion corresponds to a (same or different)beam/beam indication RS resource with a corresponding channel/beamquality measurement (e.g., L1-RSRP). For example, the CG PUSCH beam hasa low quality for transmission occasion #1, as shown with light grey in1220, has a high quality for transmission occasion #2, as shown withdark grey in 1222, and has a medium quality for transmission occasion#3, as shown with medium grey in 1224. Correspondingly, the UEdetermines a large number of repetitions (=4) for transmission occasion#1, as shown in 1230, a small number of repetitions (=1) fortransmission occasion #2, as shown in 1232, and a medium number ofrepetitions (=2) for transmission occasion #3, as shown in 1234.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1300 for an enhancedrepetition scheme for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. An embodiment of the method 1300 shown in FIG. 13 is forillustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIG. 13can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform thenoted functions or one or more of the components can be implemented byone or more processors executing instructions to perform the notedfunctions.

The UE receives configuration and activation (e.g., via DCI or MAC-CE orRRC) for CG PUSCH (Type-1 or Type-2) including beam indication RSresource(s), 1310. The UE receives an indication (e.g., RRC or DCIsignaling) for a set/range of allowed values for number of CG PUSCHrepetitions, 1320. Then, the UE makes measurements of the beamindication RS resource(s), 1330. Next, the UE determines a number ofrepetitions for a CG PUSCH transmission occasion based on the UEmeasurements, 1340. Accordingly, the UE transmits on the CG PUSCHtransmission occasion with the determined number of repetitions, 1350.The UE checks whether the UE has received a release command for CG PUSCH(e.g., DCI or MAC-CE or RRC), 1360. If not, the UE moves to the next CGPUSCH transmission occasion and repeats the same behavior starting from1330. If the UE has received a CG PUSCH release command, then the UEstops PUSCH transmission attempts on the CG PUSCH resources and providesHARQ-ACK for CG PUSCH release, 1370.

In one example, the UE is only configured with a single RRC parameterfor the number [K] of UL CG repetitions, or is configured with a list ofvalues (possibly from a determined set of values) for a single RRCparameter for the number [K] of UL CG repetitions and a single number[K] of UL CG repetitions from the list of configured values is indicatedvia an activation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command.According to this example, the parameter [K] either captures the maximumnumber of UL CG repetitions or the minimum/typical number of UL CGrepetitions, the choice of which is either explicitly predetermined inthe system specifications, or by an indication in the UL CGconfiguration in RRC and/or via a MAC-CE command and/or in anactivation/re-activation/modification DCI.

According to this example, there is no indication of a scaling factorsuch as [scale-K] that provides an explicit guidance from the gNB to theUE on how to select the actual number of UL CG repetitions. Therefore,the resource reservation/allocation for the UL CG repetitions istransparent to the UE and based on gNB implementation.

In one example, when the configured parameter [K] captures the maximumnumber of UL CG repetitions, it can imply that the gNB has reservedcorresponding many resources for UL CG repetitions, and while is allowedfor the UE to select any number of repetitions not exceeding theconfigured value, a very aggressive decrease of the number of UL CGrepetitions compared to the configured value increases the risk of an ULCG missed to be (detected and/or) decoded by the gNB, especially if theUL CG resources are shared with other UEs—in which case the gNB canindicate the failure of UL CG transmission and/or request for aretransmission of the failed UL CG transmission using e.g., are-scheduling DCI possibly along with an indication of theactual/minimum/maximum number of repetitions for the retransmission, ora DFI which provides a HARQ ACK/NACK feedback possibly along with anindication of the actual/minimum/maximum number of repetitions for theretransmission.

In another example, when the configured parameter [K] captures theminimum/typical number of UL CG repetitions, it can imply that the gNBhas reserved at least corresponding many resources for UL CG repetitions(the maximum number of resources may be a gNB implementation issue andtransparent to the UE), and while the UE is allowed to select any numberof repetitions that does not fall below/short of the configured value,any (significant) increase of the number of UL CG repetitions comparedto the configured value increases the chance of collision with other(scheduled/configured) UL transmissions and/or DL receptions from otherUEs at the gNB, thereby discarding the colliding transmissions from thatUE and rendering the collided repetitions useless. Although this is notin general harmful from the UE perspective (except possibly for powersaving/consumption considerations)—and can be potentially useful in caseof no/few collision(s)—but the colliding transmission can be harmfulfrom the gNB perspective since the colliding transmission generatesundesired interference. In one example, the UE can be configured with a(maximum/minimum) number of slots for CG transmission, and the UE candetermine a number of nominal or actual repetitions (such as Type-A orType-B repetitions) based on the configured number of slots.

In one example, a UE may be configured with a coverage recovery orcoverage enhancement (CE) mode or level, such as CE mode {A, B} or CElevels {0, 1} or CE levels {0, 1, 2, 3}, e.g., for NR-Light applicationsor for coverage enhancements use cases, in which case, a CE level/modecan be configured or indicated to the UE, a mapping between themeasurement ranges (e.g., L1-RSRP range) and the configured parameter[K] of repetitions (and/or parameters [K_min], [K_max], [scale_K],[step_K]) can be same or different for different CE modes/levels. In arelated example, if a UE is in a lower power class, measurement resultsneed to be adjusted w.r.t. the UE power class, and modified measurements(such as modified L1-RSRP ranges) need to be used for determiningconfigured number [K] of repetitions (and/or parameters [K_min],[K_max], [scale_K], [step_K]) and to determine UE-selected number[K_occ] of repetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion. In anotherexample, when more than one CE mode or level is defined, a number ofrepetitions for a CE mode can be a multiple of a value for a number ofrepetitions in a baseline or normal coverage mode/level, wherein themultiple can be a predetermined factor in the system specifications or avalue provided to the UE by higher layers. In yet another example, theUE can be provided a default number of repetitions for each CEmode/level.

In one example, any UE-selected increase/decrease in the number ofrepetitions of an UL CG transmission occasion compared to thegNB-indicated maximum/minimum/typical number of UL CG repetitions is notexpected to collide with dynamically scheduled and/or configured ULtransmissions and/or DL receptions for the same UE on the same servingcell/carrier/BWP and/or different serving cell/carrier/BWP. For example,the UE is not expected to select a number of repetitions for an UL CGtransmission occasion that would cause a collision to another UL CGtransmission and/or DL SPS reception.

In another example, when the UE receives scheduling indication such as aDCI format for an UL transmission and/or DL reception (at least on thesame serving cell/carrier/BWP) that would overlap with an UL CGtransmission occasion when transmitting based on the previouslyUE-selected (e.g., larger) number of UL CG repetitions, then the UE isexpected to stop/drop/cancel any overlapping/colliding repetitions ofthe UL CG transmission occasion. In yet another example, if prioritylevels are associated with UL transmissions and/or DL receptions (eitherexplicit priority configuration/indication in RRC or DCI and/or implicitpriority assignment such as a predetermined priority list in the systemspecifications, e.g., prioritizations for transmission power reductionswith respect to UL carrier aggregation power control and/or prioritylevels for UCI multiplexing and/or any predetermined/configured prioritylinkage with UE transmission settings such as the RNTI), then the UE isallowed to continue transmission with a previously UE-selected number ofrepetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion when a (potentially)overlapping/colliding UL transmission and/or DL reception has a lower(or same) priority level.

In one example, when some repetition(s) of an UL CG transmissionoccasion, including e.g. any (extra) number of UL CG repetitions (asselected by the UE) compared to a configured minimum/typical number ofUL CG repetitions, (potentially) overlap/collide with other ULtransmissions, then in one option, the UE is expected to keep the sameuplink transmission power for all repetitions of the UL CG transmissionoccasion, including any number of (extra) repetitions of an UL CGtransmission occasion that (potentially) overlap/collide with other ULtransmissions, while in another option, the UE can apply differentuplink transmission powers for different repetitions of the UL CGtransmission occasion, at least for any number of (extra) repetitions(as selected by the UE) of the UL CG transmission occasion that(potentially) overlap/collide with other UL transmissions, wherein thepower change can follow prioritization rules for transmission powerreductions with respect to UL carrier aggregation power control, e.g.,as developed in [3GPP TS 38.213 Clause 7.5]. In the latter option, tohandle/resolve phase continuity issues, either additional/separate DMRSis used for the (extra) repetitions (as selected by the UE) of the UL CGtransmission occasion and/or handling is left to UE implementationand/or gNB implementation.

In one example, repetitions of an UL CG transmission occasion occur in(valid) UL slots/symbols either consecutively in time or withpredetermined or configured gaps in time domain. The UL CG repetitionscan be slot based (a.k.a., repetition Type-A) or can be with shorterdurations/periodicities (a.k.a., repetition Type-B) e.g., only a numberof symbols in part of a slot, e.g., in the form of “mini-slots,”“multi-segments” and/or across slot boundary.

In one example, a UE can receive an indication for valid slots (and/orsymbols), such as NR-Light-valid slots and so on, where repetitions (andtransmissions/receptions) are only allowed in the indicated valid slots.An indication for valid slots/symbols can be cell-specific and indicatedvia SIB or can be UE-specific and provided via RRC configuration ordynamic DCI indication (such as a group DCI format).

In one example, for a TDD operation, a configured or indicatedmaximum/minimum/typical number of UL CG repetitions and/or a UE-selectednumber of repetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion can represent anominal or an actual number of repetitions. For example, when apotential UL CG repetition collides/overlaps with a semi-staticallyconfigured and/or dynamically indicated DL (and/or flexible)slots/symbols and/or invalid slots/symbols, then in one option, the UEis expected to skip the corresponding UL CG repetition but count the ULCG repetition towards the number of UL CG repetitions (i.e., the actualnumber of transmitted repetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion canbe strictly smaller than the UE-selected number for repetitions), whilein another option, the UE is expected to skip the corresponding UL CGrepetition but does not count the UL CG repetition towards the number ofUL CG repetitions and makes further attempts until the actual number oftransmitted repetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion is equal tothe UE-selected number for repetitions (unless certain UL CG repetitionsis expected to be dropped/stopped/cancelled due to other reasons, e.g.,collision with other DL/UL transmission as was previously described).

In one embodiment for methods for UE-determination of number of UL CGrepetitions, the UE can use reference signal measurements toselect/determine a different number [K_occ] of repetitions for differenttransmission occasions of an UL CG.

According to this embodiment, when a UE is configured/indicated a singlebeam indication RS (such as an SRI or TCI) for UL CG transmission, andat least when the beam indication RS is periodic (and/orsemi-persistent), then the UE can determine a number [K_occ] ofrepetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion as an adjustment to aconfigured maximum/minimum/typical number [K] of repetitions for UL CG,wherein the adjustment level is based on the measurements of the beamindication RS.

In one example, there is a mapping between the measurement ranges (e.g.,L1-RSRP ranges) with the adjustment level, e.g., a first RSRP range mapsto a first ratio/factor of the configured number [K] of repetitions,while a second RSRP range maps to a second ratio/factor of theconfigured number [K] of repetitions. Herein, the measurement can bebased on L1-/L3-RSRP, RSRQ, RSSI, SNR, SINR, capacity, throughout, andso on. Herein, when a beam indication RS is an uplink RS, then acorresponding downlink RS is used for measurement, e.g., a DL RS whichis provided as the spatial transmission relation information for thatuplink beam indication RS and/or is QCL (e.g., QCL Type-D) with theuplink beam indication RS. Herein, measurement ranges (such as theL1-RSRP ranges) can be predetermined in the system specifications, orcan be RRC configured, or can be derived based on a certainrule/formula, e.g., with a predetermined format and based on aRRC-configured and/or DCI-indicated initial value and/or step size,while in another option, some or all details of measurement rangesand/or adjustment levels can be left to UE implementation.

In one example, a gNB can indicate a TCI state/an RS different from theUL CG beam indication RS to be used for measurements and determinationof number [K_occ] of repetitions for UL CG transmission occasions. Inone example, a UE may be configured with a coverage recovery or CE modeor level, such as CE mode {A, B} or CE levels {0, 1} or CE levels {0, 1,2, 3}, e.g., for NR-Light applications or for coverage enhancements usecases, in which case, a CE level/mode can be configured or indicated tothe UE, a mapping between the measurement ranges (e.g., L1-RSRP range)and the adjustment level to the configured number [K] of repetitions canbe same or different for different CE modes/levels. In a relatedexample, if a UE is in a lower power class, measurement results need tobe adjusted w.r.t. the UE power class, and modified measurements (suchas modified L1-RSRP ranges) need to be used for determining theadjustment level to the configured number [K] of repetitions and todetermine number [K_occ] of repetitions for an UL CG transmissionoccasion.

According to this embodiment, when a UE is configured with multiple beamindication RS (such as multiple SRIs and/or TCIs) for UL CGtransmission, or when the UE is configured with one or multiple beamindication RS as well as additional DL RS(s) (such as TCI state(s)) formeasurement, then the UE can determine a number [K_occ] of repetitionsfor an UL CG transmission occasion as an adjustment to a configuredmaximum/minimum/typical number [K] of repetitions for UL CG, wherein theadjustment level is based on the measurements of beam indication RS(s)and/or additional measurement DL RS(s)/TCI state(s).

In one example, the UE determines the number [K_occ] of repetitions foran UL CG transmission occasion based on only a single beamindication/measurement RS, e.g., using L1-RSRP ranges as discussedabove, wherein the single RS is selected e.g., using methods asdescribed in aforementioned embodiments. In another example, the UEdetermines an aggregate measurement, e.g., from anaverage/minimum/maximum (or other function/combination thereof) ofsome/all measurements of some/all beam indication/measurement RS(s), andthen determines an adjustment level using the aggregate measurement todetermine a number [K_occ] of repetitions for an UL CG transmissionoccasion.

In yet another example, the UE determines the number [K_occ] ofrepetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion based on anaverage/minimum/maximum (or other function/combination thereof) ofcorresponding numbers [K_occ] of repetitions when each beamindication/measurement RS is considered separately/individually. In afurther example, the UE transmits all repetitions of an UL CGtransmission occasion with a same beam/spatial transmission filter orwith different beams/spatial transmission filters.

In one example, when a UE transmits repetitions of an UL CG transmissionoccasion with different beams (e.g., 2 or 4 beams), then in one option,the UE can transmit with each beam a same number of repetitions (e.g.,[K_occ]/2 or [K_occ]/4 where a single [K_occ] is determined e.g., usingone of the methods described earlier), or in another option, the UE cantransmit with each beam a different number of repetitions (e.g., a first[K_occ] for a first transmit beam and a second [K_occ] for a secondtransmit beam, and so on, wherein each [K_occ] corresponds to one ormultiple beam indication/measurement RS(s)), e.g., transmit a largernumber of repetitions using a stronger beam and a fewer number ofrepetitions using a weaker beam.

In another example, a first transmit beam can correspond to a first CElevel/mode (e.g., since measurement/L1-RSRP for the first beam falls ina first range) and a second transmit beam can be in a second CElevel/mode (e.g., since measurement/L1-RSRP for the second beam falls ina second range), therefore, the first and second transmit beams canfollow different rules/tables to determine the corresponding adjustmentslevels for number of repetitions. When transmitting an UL CGtransmission occasion with multiple beams, an order of beams fortransmission of different repetitions can be predetermined (e.g., beamcycling, e.g., from lowest beam/RS index to highest beam/RS index orvice versa, e.g., based on beam quality, e.g., from strongest beam toweakest beam, and so on) or can be RRC configured or can be indicated byan activation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1400 for a UE-determinationof number of repetitions for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. An embodiment of the method 1400 shown in FIG. 14 isfor illustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIG.14 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform thenoted functions or one or more of the components can be implemented byone or more processors executing instructions to perform the notedfunctions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for CG PUSCH (Type-1 orType-2) including beam indication RS resource(s), 1410. The UE alsoreceives a mapping between L1-RSRP ranges and a set/range of allowedvalues for number of CG PUSCH repetitions, 1420. Then, for each CGtransmission occasion, the UE makes measurements of the beam indicationRS resource(s) and determines an L1-RSRP range (e.g., by combiningmeasurements corresponding to multiple beam indication RS resources),1430. Then, the UE checks whether the UE has a non-default UE powerclass (e.g., lower than 23 dBm) and/or whether the UE is operated in aCE mode/level, 1440. If not, the UE determines a number of repetitionsfor a CG PUSCH transmission occasion based on the determined L1-RSRPrange and the received mapping, 1460. But, if the UE has a non-defaultUE power class (e.g., lower than 23 dBm) and/or is operated in a CEmode/level, then the UE determines a modified L1-RSRP range based on theUE power class and/or CE mode/level, 1450, and then moves on to step1460 to determine a number of repetitions for a CG PUSCH transmission.

In one example, autonomous UE actions for selection of beam, or numberof repetitions, and so on can be restricted. For example, the UE can beconfigured using timer(s) or counter(s) with limits on how often the UEcan change a selection for a beam or for a number of repetitions, or theUE can be configured with a threshold for minimum RSRP change before theUE can change the gNB configuration of corresponding parameters. The UEcan also inform the gNB of the preferred change.

In one example, the UE transmits a second number of repetitionscorresponding to a second spatial transmission filter (or beam) with atime offset after a first number of repetitions corresponding to a firstspatial transmission filter or beam, wherein the time offset can beconfigured/indicated by the network or can be determined by the UE basedon a UE processing time such as an application time for beam switchingsuch as a threshold timeDurationForQCL based on a UE capability, or adefault UE processing time for PUSCH as used for PHR type determination,T′_proc,2 (e.g., as in 3GPP TS 38.213 and TS 38.214), or a UE processingtime for UCI multiplexing, and so on, or a predetermined/configuredfraction thereof. In another example, the UE can alternate betweentransmissions corresponding to the first spatial filter andtransmissions corresponding to the second spatial filter.

In one embodiment for methods for UE-indication to the gNB regarding aUE-selected number of UL CG repetitions, when a UE can select differentnumber of repetitions for different UL CG transmission occasions, thenthe UE is expected to indicate to the gNB the UE-selected number ofrepetitions for each UL CG transmission occasion.

In one example, the UE is expected to indicate the UE-selected number ofrepetitions when two absolute parameters are configured/indicated to theUE for the number of UL CG repetitions, such as [K_max] and [K_min] asdescribed in the aforementioned embodiments above.

In another example, when the UE is configured/gNB-indicated with asingle absolute parameter [K] for number of UL CG repetitions (perhapsalong with a scale parameter and/or step size parameter), the UE isexpected to indicate the UE-selected number of repetitions for an UL CGtransmission occasion only when the UE selects a number of repetitionsdifferent from the configured/gNB-indicated value, otherwise noindication is necessary.

In one example, there can be a flag to indicate whether the UEfollowed/selected the configured/gNB-indicated value or whether the UEselected a different value. In one example, when the UE selects andindicates a number of repetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion,the UE is not expected to revert the indication and is expected totransmit the indicated number of repetitions (e.g., as per rules in theaforementioned embodiments), unless the UE receives an indication for(early) termination/cancellation of the repetitions, such as a HARQ ACKor another downlink feedback indicator or a rescheduling DCI.

In one example, the UE indication of the UE-selected number ofrepetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion can be explicit. Forexample, the can UE indicate a UE-selected number of repetitions for anUL CG transmission occasion as a UCI multiplexed on the UL CGtransmission itself, i.e., as a CG-UCI which is multiplexed on CG PUSCH.Such IE can be 2-3 bits of information, possibly among other IEscontained in CG-UCI. The indication can be a to an index within a tableof predetermined/configured absolute numbers of repetitions orpredetermined/configured table of adjustment levels to baselinerepetition number(s), and so on.

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1500 for an explicitindication of a UE-determined number of repetitions for CG PUSCHaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of themethod 1500 shown in FIG. 15 is for illustration only. One or more ofthe components illustrated in FIG. 15 can be implemented in specializedcircuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more ofthe components can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for CG PUSCH (Type-1 orType-2) including beam indication RS resource(s), 1510. Then, for eachCG PUSCH transmission occasion, the UE determines a number ofrepetitions for a CG PUSCH transmission occasion based on UEmeasurements of the beam indication RS resource(s), 1520. Finally, theUE multiplexes the determined number of repetitions as CG-UCI on the GCPUSCH and transmits on the CG PUSCH transmission occasion with thedetermined number of repetitions, 1530.

In another example, the UE indication of the UE-selected number ofrepetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion can be implicit. Forexample, each UL CG configuration includes multiple configurations forUL CG transmission parameters, such as configuration of multiple DMRSpatterns/sequences/ports/cyclic shifts/scrambling/cover codes, and soon, and then there is a predetermined/configured mapping between theUE-selected number of repetitions for an UL CG transmission occasionwith the multiple configurations for UL CG transmission parameters suchas the multiple configurations for DMRS, e.g., a first number ofrepetitions (e.g., K_occ=2) maps to a first cyclic shift for DMRS and asecond number of repetitions (e.g., K_occ=4) maps to a second cyclicshift for DMRS.

In such a case, when the UE selects a value for the number ofrepetitions for an UL CG transmission occasion, then the UE selects thecorresponding configuration for the UL CG transmission parameters suchthe corresponding DMRS configuration based on the mapping, e.g., whenthe UE selects K_occ=4 for an UL CG transmission occasion, then the UEperforms that UL CG transmission occasion using the second value ofcyclic shift for UL CG DMRS.

FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1600 for an implicitindication of a UE-determined number of repetitions for CG PUSCHaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of themethod 1600 shown in FIG. 16 is for illustration only. One or more ofthe components illustrated in FIG. 16 can be implemented in specializedcircuitry configured to perform the noted functions or one or more ofthe components can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for CG PUSCH (Type-1 orType-2) including beam indication RS resource(s), 1610. The UE alsoreceives a mapping between a set/range of allowed values for number ofCG PUSCH repetitions and a set of DMRS features (e.g., DMRSpatterns/sequences/ports/cyclic shifts/scrambling/cover codes, and soon), 1620. Then, for each CG PUSCH transmission occasion, the UEdetermines a number of repetitions for a CG PUSCH transmission occasionbased on UE measurements of the beam indication RS resource(s), 1630.Accordingly, the UE determines a DMRS feature based on the determinednumber of repetitions and the received mapping, 1640. Finally, the UEtransmits on the CG PUSCH transmission occasion with the determinednumber of repetitions and the determined DMRS feature, 1650.

In one embodiment for an enhanced repetition mechanism for DL SPS, a UEreceives a DL SPS with a number [K] of repetitions, wherein a number [K]of repetitions can be different for different reception occasions of theDL SPS (i.e., the gNB can transmit the DL SPS PDSCH with a differentnumber of repetitions for different occasions of DL SPS). At least mostof the methods and examples developed in the aforementioned embodimentsfor enhanced repetition of UL CG can be applicable to enhancedrepetition of DL SPS, when appropriate changes are applied, such aschanging the communication direction from UL to DL and so on.

This embodiment is an enhancement over the legacy approach to DL SPSrepetition, in which the number of repetitions is either semi-staticallyRRC configured and/or is indicated in the activation/re-activation DCIor MAC-CE command; and either way once indicated, it may apply to allreception occasions of the DL SPS (until the DL SPS is released by areleasing/deactivating DCI or MAC-CE command and/or until the DL SPStransmission parameters are updated by a re-activation/modification DCIor MAC-CE command).

In one example, a UE can be provided by a baseline number of repetitionsand/or a possible set of number of repetitions for a DL SPS receptionoccasion, using one or more of the parameters: [K], [K_max], [K_min],[scale_K], [step_K], and so on, e.g., as described in in theaforementioned embodiments. In another example, a UE may not be providedwith any information on the possible number of DL SPS repetitions, andthe actual number can be explicitly indicated to the UE for each DL SPSreception occasion (see some further details below).

In one example, a UE may be configured with a coverage recovery or CEmode or level, such as CE mode {A, B} or CE levels {0, 1} or CE levels{0, 1, 2, 3}, e.g., for NR-Light applications or for coverageenhancements use cases and so on, in which case, a CE level/mode can beconfigured or indicated to the UE, or a mapping between the measurementranges (e.g., L1-RSRP range) and the possible number of repetitions(e.g., parameters [K], [K_min], [K_max], [scale_K], [step_K]) can besame or different for different CE modes/levels. In a related example,if a UE is in a lower power class, measurement results need to beadjusted w.r.t. the UE power class, and modified measurements (such asmodified L1-RSRP ranges) need to be used for determining the possiblenumber of repetitions (e.g., parameters [K], [K_min], [K_max],[scale_K], [step_K]) for a DL SPS reception occasion.

In one example, repetitions of a DL SPS reception occasion occur in(valid) DL slots/symbols either consecutively in time or withpredetermined or configured gaps in time domain. The DL SPS repetitionscan be slot based (a.k.a., repetition Type-A) or can be with shorterdurations/periodicities (a.k.a., repetition Type-B) e.g., only a numberof symbols in part of a slot, e.g., in the form of “mini-slots”,“multi-segments” and/or across slot boundary. In one example, a UE canreceive an indication for valid slots (and/or symbols), such asNR-Light-valid slots and so on, where repetitions (and receptions) areonly allowed in the indicated valid slots. An indication for validslots/symbols can be cell-specific and indicated via SIB or can beUE-specific and provided via an RRC configuration or a dynamic DCIindication (such as a group DCI format).

In one example, a UE can provide the gNB with a preferred number ofrepetitions for a DL SPS reception. For example, when a UE isconfigured/indicated one or multiple beam indication RS resource(s),such as TCI state(s), for DL SPS reception, and/or one or multiple(additional) DL RS resource(s), such as TCI state(s), for measurement,then the UE can use measurements of those beam indication/measurement RSresource(s) to determine a preferred number of repetitions for DL SPS,wherein a determination can be based on predetermined procedures in thesystem specifications and/or per UE implementation.

In one example, when a UE receives DL SPS with different number ofrepetitions for different DL SPS reception occasions, then the UEexpects to receive indication from the gNB for the gNB-selected numberof repetitions for each DL SPS reception occasion.

In one example, when the UE receives an indication for a number ofrepetitions for a DL SPS reception occasion, the UE does not expect theindication to be reverted and expects to receive the indicated number ofrepetitions, unless the UE transmits an indication for (early)termination/cancellation of the repetitions, such as a HARQ ACK oranother UCI to indicate that the DL SPS is already corrected decoded bythe UE.

In one example, the indication for the gNB-selected number ofrepetitions for a DL SPS reception occasion can be explicit. Forexample, the can UE is indicated a gNB-selected number of repetitionsfor a DL SPS reception occasion as a DCI multiplexed on the DL SPS PDSCHitself, i.e., as a SPS-DCI which is multiplexed on SPS PDSCH. Such IEcan be 2-3 bits of information, possibly among other IEs contained inSPS-DCI. The indication can be to an index within a table ofpredetermined/configured absolute numbers of repetitions orpredetermined/configured table of adjustment levels to baselinerepetition number(s), and so on.

FIG. 17 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1700 for an explicitindication of the number of repetitions for SPS PDSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method 1700shown in FIG. 17 is for illustration only. One or more of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 17 can be implemented in specialized circuitryconfigured to perform the noted functions or one or more of thecomponents can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for SPS PDSCH (Type-1 orType-2), 1710. Then, for each SPS PDSCH reception occasion, the UEreceive a first repetition of the SPS PDSCH reception occasion anddetermines a number of repetitions for that SPS PDSCH transmission as aSPS-DCI multiplexed with the SPS PDSCH, 1720. Finally, the UE receivesthe SPS PDSCH reception occasion with the determined number ofrepetitions, 1730.

In another example, the indication for the gNB-selected number ofrepetitions for a DL SPS reception occasion can be implicit. Forexample, each DL SPS configuration includes multiple configurations forDL SPS reception parameters, such as configuration of multiple DMRSpatterns/sequences/ports/cyclic shifts/scrambling/cover codes, and soon, and then there is a predetermined/configured mapping between thegNB-selected number of repetitions for a DL SPS reception occasion withthe multiple configurations for DL SPS reception parameters such as themultiple configurations for DMRS, e.g., a first number of repetitions(e.g., K_occ=2) maps to a first cyclic shift for DMRS and a secondnumber of repetitions (e.g., K_occ=4) maps to a second cyclic shift forDMRS.

In such a case, when the UE receives a certain configuration for the DLSPS reception parameters such a certain DMRS configuration, then the UEexpects a corresponding number of repetitions for the DL SPS receptionoccasion based on the mapping, e.g., when the UE detects a second valueof cyclic shift for DL SPS DMRS, then the UE expects K_occ=4 for a DLSPS reception occasion.

FIG. 18 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1800 for an implicitindication of number of repetitions for SPS PDSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method 1800shown in FIG. 18 is for illustration only. One or more of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 18 can be implemented in specialized circuitryconfigured to perform the noted functions or one or more of thecomponents can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for SPS PDSCH (Type-1 orType-2), 1810. The UE also receives a mapping between a set/range ofvalues for number of SPS PDSCH repetitions and a set of DMRS features(e.g., DMRS patterns/sequences/ports/cyclic shifts/scrambling/covercodes, and so on), 1820. Then, for each SPS PDSCH reception occasion,the UE receive a first repetition of a SPS PDSCH reception occasion anddetermines a DMRS feature for that SPS PDSCH reception occasion, 1830.Accordingly, the UE determines a number of repetitions for that SPSPDSCH reception occasion based on the determined DMRS feature and thereceived mapping, 1840. Finally, the UE receives the SPS PDSCH receptionoccasion with the determined number of repetitions, 1850.

In one embodiment for a beam selection and beam cycling for repetitionsof UL CG configured with multiple beams, when a UE is configured withmultiple beams or beam indication RSs for an UL CG configuration, andwhen the UE performs multiple repetitions of an UL CG transmissionoccasion, the UE can use a same beam for all repetitions or can usedifferent beams for different repetitions of the UL CG transmissionoccasion. According to this example, a number of repetition can be (asusual) configured/indicated by the gNB or can be selected by the UEperhaps based on gNB guidance e.g. as discussed in the aforementionedembodiments.

In one example, a beam indication RS resource for UL CG can be one ormore of the following: SRS resource set(s)/subset(s), SRS resource(s),(associated) CSI-RS resource(s) or (associated) CSI-RS resourceset(s)/subset(s), TCI state(s) or set(s)/subset(s) of TCI states,(corresponding) QCL assumption(s), such as a QCL assumption Type-D, DLRS such as SSB resource(s) or CSI-RS resource(s) or PRS resource(s),wherein a spatial transmission/reception filter for a beam indicationresource can be provided by RRC configuration and/or can beprovided/updated/overwritten by an activation/re-activation/modificationDCI or MAC-CE command.

In one example, a single beam/beam indication RS resource can beselected from among multiple beams/beam indication RS resources totransmit all repetitions of an UL CG transmission occasion. For example,a beam/RS can be selected by the gNB or UE or jointly/collaboratively byboth UE and gNB, e.g., as in examples described in the aforementionedembodiments. In one example, a selection of a beam/RS for transmittingall repetitions of a first UL CG transmission occasion can beindependent of a selection of a beam/RS for transmitting all repetitionsof a second UL CG transmission occasion. In another example, a firstbeam/beam indication RS resource selected for transmitting allrepetitions of a first UL CG transmission occasion can be same ordifferent from a second beam/beam indication RS resource selected fortransmitting all repetitions of a second UL CG transmission occasion.

In one example, there can be a predetermined/configured pattern inselecting the beams/beam indication RS resources for different UL CGtransmission occasions. For example, there can be a predetermined beamcycling pattern, such from lowest beam/RS index to highest beam/RS indexor vice versa, to use for different UL CG transmission occasions. Inanother example, a beam selection/cycling pattern can be provided by RRCconfiguration and/or can be provided/updated/overwritten by anactivation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command.

In one example, when different beams are used for different repetitionsof the UL CG transmission occasion, the total number of repetitions forthat UL CG transmission occasion can be grouped in multiple repetitiongroups, wherein each group corresponds to a different beam/beamindication RS resource. According to this example, the UE transmits afirst group of repetitions of an UL CG transmission occasion using afirst beam/beam indication RS resource, and transmits a second group ofrepetitions of an UL CG transmission occasion using a second beam/beamindication RS resource.

In one example, the mapping between repetition groups and the beams/beamindication RS resources can be predetermined, e.g., beam cycling, e.g.,from lowest beam/RS index to highest beam/RS index or vice versa, or canbe based on beam quality, e.g., from strongest beam (e.g., largestL1-RSRP) to weakest beam (e.g., smallest L1-RSRP), and so on. In anotherexample, the mapping between repetition groups and the beams/beamindication RS resources can be RRC configured and/or can beindicated/overwritten by an activation/re-activation/modification DCI orMAC-CE command.

In yet another example, the size of the repetition groups of an UL CGtransmission occasion can be same, or different repetition groups canhave different sizes. For example, the total number of repetitions canbe equality divided/split among different beams/beam indication RSresources, or each beam/beam indication RS resource can correspond to adifferent subset/number from the total number of repetitions, e.g.,transmit a larger number of repetitions using a stronger beam and afewer number of repetitions using a weaker beam.

FIG. 19 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1900 for a repetition withbeam cycling for CG PUSCH according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. An embodiment of the method 1900 shown in FIG. 19 is forillustration only. One or more of the components illustrated in FIG. 19can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform thenoted functions or one or more of the components can be implemented byone or more processors executing instructions to perform the notedfunctions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for CG PUSCH (Type-1 orType-2) including multiple beam indication RS resources, 1910. The UEalso receives a mapping between a set/range of allowed values for numberof CG PUSCH repetitions and a set of L1-RSRP ranges, 1920. Then, the UEdetermines a first L1-RSRP range for a first beam indication RS resourceand determines a first number of repetitions based on the firstdetermined L1-RSRP range and the received mapping, 1930. Similarly, theUE determines a second L1-RSRP range for a second beam indication RSresource and determines a second number of repetitions based on thesecond determined L1-RSRP range and the received mapping, 1940. Finally,the UE transmits on the CG PUSCH transmission occasion with a firstnumber of repetitions using the first beam indication RS resource andwith a second number of repetitions using the second beam indication RSresource, 1950. Note that, the ordering of first beam and second beamcan be a predetermined order, e.g., based on RS resource index, or canbe based on beam quality, e.g., first beam corresponds to higher L1-RSRPand second beam corresponds to lower L1-RSRP.

In one embodiment for a beam selection and beam cycling for repetitionsof DL SPS configured with multiple beams, when a UE isconfigured/indicated with multiple beams or beam indication RSs for a DLSPS configuration, and when the UE receives multiple repetitions of a DLSPS reception occasion, the UE expects to receive all repetitions of theDL SPS reception occasion with a same beam or can expect to receivedifferent repetitions of the DL SPS reception occasion using differentbeams. According to this example, a number of repetition can be (asusual) configured/indicated by the gNB for all DL SPS receptionoccasions, or can be selected/changed by the gNB for different DL SPSreception occasions e.g. as discussed in the aforementioned embodiments.

In one example, a beam indication RS resource for DL SPS can be one ormore of the following: TCI state(s) or set(s)/subset(s) of TCI states,(corresponding) QCL assumption(s), such as a QCL assumption Type-D, DLRS such as SSB resource(s) or CSI-RS resource(s) or PRS resource(s),wherein a spatial transmission/reception filter for a beam indicationresource can be provided by RRC configuration and/or can beprovided/updated/overwritten by an activation/re-activation/modificationDCI or MAC-CE command.

In one example, a single beam/beam indication RS resource can beselected from among multiple beams/beam indication RS resources totransmit all repetitions of a DL SPS reception occasion. For example, abeam/RS can be selected by the gNB or jointly/collaboratively by both UEand gNB, e.g., as in examples described in the aforementionedembodiments. In one example, a selection of a beam/RS for receiving allrepetitions of a first DL SPS reception occasion can be independent(same or different) of a selection of a beam/RS for receiving allrepetitions of a second DL SPS reception occasion.

In another example, there can be a predetermined/configured pattern inselecting the beams/beam indication RS resources for different DL SPSreception occasions. For example, there can be a predetermined beamcycling pattern, such from lowest beam/RS index to highest beam/RS indexor vice versa, to use for different DL SPS reception occasions. Inanother example, a beam selection/cycling pattern can be provided by RRCconfiguration and/or can be provided/updated/overwritten by anactivation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command.

In one example, when different beams are used for different repetitionsof the DL SPS reception occasion, the total number of repetitions forthat DL SPS reception occasion can be grouped in multiple repetitiongroups, wherein each group corresponds to a different beam/beamindication RS resource. According to this example, the UE receives afirst group of repetitions of a DL SPS reception occasion using a firstbeam/beam indication RS resource, and receives a second group ofrepetitions of a DL SPS reception occasion using a second beam/beamindication RS resource.

In one example, the mapping between repetition groups and the beams/beamindication RS resources can be predetermined, e.g., beam cycling, e.g.,from lowest beam/RS index to highest beam/RS index or vice versa, and soon. In another example, the mapping between repetition groups and thebeams/beam indication RS resources can be RRC configured and/or can beindicated/overwritten by an activation/re-activation/modification DCI orMAC-CE command. In yet another example, the size of the repetitiongroups of a DL SPS reception occasion can be same, or differentrepetition groups can have different sizes. For example, the totalnumber of repetitions can be equality divided/split among differentbeams/beam indication RS resources, or each beam/beam indication RSresource can correspond to a different subset/number from the totalnumber of repetitions.

In one embodiment for an enhanced UL CG repetitions for high prioritytraffic, when a UE is configured for UL CG repetition, and when a UE has(high priority such as URLLC) traffic to transmit, the UE is allowed tostart the (high priority) traffic in a symbol/slot that corresponds to arepetition of an UL CG transmission occasion which is different from thefirst repletion of the UL CG transmission occasion. According to thisembodiment, the UE can transmit a (high priority) traffic with fewernumber of repetitions compared to the configured/gNB-indicated number ofrepetitions.

The motivation for this enhancement is to allow ULRRC or any other highpriority traffic to use an UL CG transmission occasion even if thetraffic arrives/originates not at the beginning of an UL CG transmissionoccasion, rather in a second or later slot/sub-slot/mini-slot thatcorresponds to a second or later repetition of that UL CG transmissionoccasion (i.e., “in the middle of repetitions”), so that the UE does notneed to wait for the start of another UL CG transmission occasion (orfor making a scheduling request and waiting to get scheduled for dynamicPUSCH) to be able to transmit a late-arrived urgent traffic.

In one example, the UE can start transmission (of a high prioritytraffic) in any symbol/slot/repetition of an UL CG transmissionoccasion, per UE selection and implementation.

In one example, the gNB provides an indication of a threshold on howlate a UE can start transmission in an UL CG transmission occasion,wherein the indication can be in terms of a slot/symbol number and/or arepetition number (e.g., no later than a second repetition, or 4^(th)repetition). In another example, the threshold is predetermined or isRRC configuration and/or can be provided/updated/overwritten by anactivation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command. In anotherexample, a threshold for late start of an UL CG transmission occasioncan be linked to a priority indication for the UE traffic, e.g., apredetermined or configured or indicated linkage/mapping betweenpriority levels and the threshold for late start of the UL CGtransmission occasion, e.g., a traffic with a first priority level canstart no later than a first threshold (e.g., second repetition) of an ULCG transmission occasion, while a traffic with a second priority levelcan start no later than a second threshold (e.g., 4^(th) repetition) ofan UL CG transmission occasion.

In one example, a priority level can be either explicit priorityconfiguration/indication in RRC or DCI and/or implicit priorityassignment such as a predetermined priority list in the systemspecifications, e.g., prioritizations for transmission power reductionswith respect to UL carrier aggregation power control and/or prioritylevels for UCI multiplexing and/or any predetermined/configured prioritylinkage with UE transmission settings such as the RNTI.

In on example, when determining how late a UE can start transmission onan UL CG transmission occasion, a UE processing offset is (additionally)taken into account, wherein the UE processing offset time can be (acombination/variation/function/faction of) one or more of the following:a PUSCH processing time, e.g., T_proc,2 as defined in [3GPP TS 38.214],a PHR type determination time such as T′_proc,2 as defined e.g., in[3GPP TS 38.213 and TS 38.214], a UCI multiplexing time as defined e.g.in [TS 38.213], and so on. For example, the UE is expected to starttransmission on an UL CG transmission occasion no later than asymbol/slot/repetition that is at least K symbols/slots/repetitionsbefore the end of the UL CG transmission occasion, where K is given bythe UE processing offset time.

In principle, the proposed method can work without any indication fromthe UE to the gNB regarding the actual starting repetition index n≥1,from the total configured number of repetitions N, but such operationwould require a blind decoding type operation by the gNB to determinethe actual starting repetition.

In one example, when a UE starts transmitting on an UL CG transmissionoccasion after the beginning of that UL CG transmission occasion, thenthe UE is expected to indicate to the gNB the actual startingsymbol/slot/repetition within the UL CG transmission occasion. Forexample, the UE needs to indicate that it started transmitting from thesecond repetition of an UL CG transmission occasion.

In one example, a UE indication of a start time of transmitting on an ULCG transmission occasion can be explicit. For example, the can UEindicate the start time of transmitting on an UL CG transmissionoccasion as a UCI multiplexed on the UL CG transmission itself, i.e., asa CG-UCI which is multiplexed on CG PUSCH. Such IE can be 2-3 bits ofinformation, possibly among other IEs contained in CG-UCI. Theindication can be a to an index within a table ofpredetermined/configured absolute numbers of symbols/slots/repetitionsor predetermined/configured table of coded version ofsymbols/slots/repetitions such as an SLIV-based joint coding and/or aTDRA-like table, and so on. Such indication can be an assistanceinformation provided by the UE to the gNB, and blind decoding by the gNBfor detection of the starting/first actual repetition from the UE can beavoided as the gNB can then know the actual repetition occasions.

In another example, a UE indication of a start time of transmitting onan UL CG transmission occasion can be implicit. For example, when eachUL CG configuration includes multiple configurations for UL CGtransmission parameters, such as configuration of multiple DMRSpatterns/sequences/ports/cyclic shifts/scrambling/cover codes, and soon, then there can be a predetermined/configured mapping between thestart time of transmitting on an UL CG transmission occasion with themultiple configurations for UL CG transmission parameters such as themultiple configurations for DMRS, e.g., a first start time oftransmitting (e.g., start at 2^(nd) repetition) maps to a first cyclicshift for DMRS and a second start time of transmitting (e.g., start at4^(th) repetition) maps to a second cyclic shift for DMRS.

In such a case, when the UE intends to start at a certain starting timewithin an UL CG transmission occasion, then the UE selects thecorresponding configuration for the UL CG transmission parameters suchthe corresponding DMRS configuration based on the mapping, e.g., whenthe UE selects to start at the 4^(th) repetition within an UL CGtransmission occasion, then the UE performs that UL CG transmissionoccasion using the second value of cyclic shift for UL CG DMRS.

In one example, the UE can start a late CG transmission only at certainpredetermined or configured symbols in the first repetition occasion, orin a predetermined set of repetition occasions, or in any configuredrepetition occasion for a CG PUSCH, whenever the has data and is allowedto use the configured number of repetitions. According to this example,the UE can transmit an indication to the gNB regarding the actualstarting symbol or repetition occasion, or the gNB may “blindly decode”the starting symbol or repetition occasion without any UE indication.

In one example, when a UE starts transmitting on asymbols/slot/repetition which is different from the firstsymbol/slot/repetition, then in one option, the UE uses the RV same wayas when the UE would have started in the first symbols/slot/repetition(i.e., considering and counting all missed symbols/slots/repetitions)—sothat a corresponding RV can be any value e.g., an RV different from RV=0is possible—, while in another option, the UE uses the RV as if thatrepetition/transmission occasion corresponds to the firstsymbols/slot/repetition (i.e., not considering and not counting anymissed symbols/slots/repetitions)—so that a corresponding RV is alwaysset to RV=0.

FIG. 20 illustrates a flowchart of a method 2000 for a late start fortransmission of high priority traffic on a CG PUSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method 2000shown in FIG. 20 is for illustration only. One or more of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 20 can be implemented in specialized circuitryconfigured to perform the noted functions or one or more of thecomponents can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives configuration and activation for CG PUSCH (Type-1 orType-2), 2010. The UE also receive a mapping between PUSCH trafficpriority level and latest starting repetition on CG PUSCH, 2020. Then,the UE receive a PUSCH traffic from higher layers and determines acorresponding priority level, 2030. Accordingly, the UE determines alatest CG PUSCH starting repetition based on the determined prioritylevel and the received mapping, 2040. Then, the UE checks whether the UEcan still meet the determined latest starting time on CG PUSCH fortransmitting this PUSCH traffic, 2050.

If the UE determines that the UE cannot meet the determined latestallowed starting repetition for transmitting on this CG PUSCHtransmission occasion (e.g., if the UE has passed the latest allowedrepetition, possibly also considering any UE processing time offset),then the UE determines that transmission on the CG PUSCH transmissionoccasion is not allowed anymore, 2060. However, if the UE determinesthat the UE can still meet the determined latest allowed startingrepetition for transmitting on this CG PUSCH transmission occasion(e.g., if the UE can transmit before or at the latest allowedrepetition, possibly also considering any UE processing time offset),then the UE indicates to the gNB the starting repetition on that CGPUSCH transmission occasion for transmitting the CG PUSCH traffic, 2070,and transmits the PUSCH traffic on the CG PUSCH transmission occasionstarting from the indicated starting repetition, 2080.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example operation 2100 for an enhanced/flexiblerepetition for CG PUSCH carrying high priority traffic according toembodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the operation2100 shown in FIG. 21 is for illustration only.

In this embodiment, the UE receives an activation command (via, e.g.,DCI or MAC-CE or RRC) for a CG PUSCH configuration, 2110, along with anindication of the (maximum) number of repetitions e.g., 4. Each CGtransmission occasion can be potentially used for transmitting a trafficwith a corresponding priority level at arrives possibly in the middle ofconfigured CG PUSCH repetitions. For example, a traffic with a prioritylevel=1 (high priority) arrives at the third repetition of CGtransmission occasion #1, as shown in 2120; and due to a priority, atransmission is allowed using the last two repetitions of CG PUSCHtransmission occasion #1, as shown in 1931. In the second example, atraffic with a priority level=0 (low priority) arrives at the thirdrepetition of CG transmission occasion #2, as shown in 2122; but sincethe traffic arrival time is considered too late for such low prioritytraffic, then transmission is not allowed, so no transmission is made.In the last example, a traffic with a priority level=2 (very highpriority) arrives at the fourth/last repetition of CG transmissionoccasion #3, as shown in 2124, and since this is considered very urgent,a transmission is allowed even at the very last configured repetition.

In one embodiment for a location-based configuration of UL CG/DL SPS, aconfiguration of transmission resources and/or parameters for UL CG/DLSPS is based on geographical location parameters. According to thisembodiment, a first UL CG/DL SPS configuration in a first location usesa first set of resource and/or parameters, while a second UL CG/DL SPSconfiguration in a second location uses a second set of resource and/orparameters.

One example motivation for this embodiment is that configuration of ULCG/DL SPS can be location-specific, instead of UE-specific, and istherefore invariant to UE movement, i.e., as long as a UE is in acertain location/zone/area, then the UE can use the corresponding ULCG/DL SPS configuration, but as soon as the UE moves out of that certainlocation/zone/area, then the UE cannot use the UL CG/DL SPSconfiguration any more. An additional benefit of location-basedconfiguration of UL CG/DL SPS is control overhead saving in terms ofavoiding UE-specific signalling of the configuration.

In one example, the geographical location parameters are based on somepredefined categorization of the geographical area within a servingcell, such as the universal V2X zones or any predefined/predeterminedsub-zones thereof. In another example, a UE uses any positioningresource and/or method to determine the UE's geographical locationparameters such as a current zone (e.g., V2X zone/sub-zone such as V2Xzone ID), e.g., using a GPS signal or based on measurements of a DL/SLPRS.

In one example, a location-based configuration of UL CG/DL SPS isprovided as a cell-specific system information (SIB). For example, thecell-specific SIB can be an on-demand SIB, which can be transmitted whenrequested by a UE or a group of UEs, e.g., when entering a zone. Inanother example, there can be a baseline zone-common/cell-specificconfiguration for all location-based UL CG/DL SPS configurations withina serving cell, which can be periodically broadcasted, and then there issupplementary zone-specific configuration(s) that contain the adjustmentcompared to the baseline zone-common configuration, e.g., how to adjustthe MCS, beam index, and so on from the baseline MCS, beam index, and soon based on the zone ID. In yet another example, only a predeterminedset of UL CG/DL SPS transmission parameters (such as MCS and beam index)can be configured in a location-/zone-specific configuration, whileother transmission parameters (e.g., DMRS) need to be UE-specific. In afurther example, zone ID is used as scrambling parameter e.g., for CRCof the activation/re-activation/modification DCI or MAC-CE command, ore.g., for DMRS, and so on.

The supplementary zone-specific configuration(s) can include a singleconfiguration that includes all adjustments for all zones within theserving cell (which can be a periodically broadcasted SIB), or can beseparate/groups of configurations for different zones (which can beon-demand SIB(s) and transmitted per UE request).

A location-based configuration of UL CG/DL SPS needs to take intoaccount the payload and number of involved SIB(s). When there is alocation-based UL CG/DL SPS configuration for a zone, in one option, aUE within that zone is expected to operate with that UL CG and/or DL SPSconfiguration, while in another option, it is up to the UE to decidewhether to operate with that UL CG and/or DL SPS, e.g., receiving on azone-specific DL SPS can be mandatory, while transmitting on azone-specific UL CG can be optional. In another example, when a UE isconfigured with location-/zone-specific UL CG and/or DL SPSconfiguration, the UE can be (additionally) configured with UE-specificUL CG and/or DL SPS configuration(s).

FIG. 22 illustrates a flowchart of a method 2200 for alocation/zone-specific configuration of CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH according toembodiments of the present disclosure. An embodiment of the method 2200shown in FIG. 22 is for illustration only. One or more of the componentsillustrated in FIG. 22 can be implemented in specialized circuitryconfigured to perform the noted functions or one or more of thecomponents can be implemented by one or more processors executinginstructions to perform the noted functions.

The UE receives mapping (e.g., via SIB or RRC) between geographicalzones and CG PUSCH/SPS PDSCH (Type-1 or Type-2) configurations, 2210.Then, the UE determines the current zone based on measurements ofconfigured PRS resource and/or GPS signal (and using predeterminedzones, e.g., V2X zones), 2220. Accordingly, the UE determines a valid CGPUSCH/SPS PDSCH configuration based on the determined zone, 2230.Finally, the UE transmits/receives using the determined valid CGPUSCH/SPS PDSCH, 2240.

The present disclosure can be applicable to Rel-17 NR specifications forNR-Light/NR-mMTC, URLLC and V2X enhancements, low overheadtransmissions, and generally any area that pertains DL SPS PDSCH and/orUL CG PUSCH.

This disclosure pertains to a UE or a group of UEs with reduced costand/or complexity or, in general, reduced capability (REDCAP) UEs. Forexample, a REDCAP UE can have one or more of the following reducedbandwidth, reduced number of Rx and/or Tx RF chain, reduced power classcompared to a legacy/baseline UE or UE group/category such as the onedefined by 3GPP 5G NR Rel-15. A REDCAP UE or UE group may be recognizedas a UE category (or multiple UE categories) satisfying certainpredetermined/specified radio and/or service requirements and/or certainpredetermined/specified UE capabilities. A REDCAP UE or UEgroup/category can also support certain features, such as for coveragerecovery or coverage enhancement. Examples of such a REDCAP UE caninclude smart wearables/watches, surveillance cameras, and (mid-tier)wireless sensors. In certain scenarios and deployments, there may be alarge number (e.g., tens or hundreds or more) of REDCAP UEs within aserving cell.

This disclosure also pertains any UE that benefits from/requirescoverage enhancement, for example due to deployment situations that canexperience large propagation loss, such as deep in building use cases,or due to a reduced number of receiver antennas, or due to a reducedpower class for an amplifier of the UE transmitter.

This disclosure also pertains any UE that benefits from reduced overheadfor transmissions and decreased receiver complexity, such astransmission with reduced control information, reduced PDCCH monitoringrequirements, transmissions with configured grant (CG), or transmissionswith semi-persistent scheduling (SPS).

The above flowcharts illustrate example methods that can be implementedin accordance with the principles of the present disclosure and variouschanges could be made to the methods illustrated in the flowchartsherein. For example, while shown as a series of steps, various steps ineach figure could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a differentorder, or occur multiple times. In another example, steps may be omittedor replaced by other steps.

Although the present disclosure has been described with exemplaryembodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to oneskilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompasssuch changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims. None of the description in this application should be read asimplying that any particular element, step, or function is an essentialelement that must be included in the claims scope. The scope of patentedsubject matter is defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for a user equipment (UE) to transmit achannel, the method comprising: receiving first information for spatialfilters; receiving second information for a number of repetitions;determining first and second spatial filters based on the spatialfilters, wherein the first and second spatial filters are different;determining an association for first and second numbers of repetitions,based on the number of repetitions, with wherein the first and secondspatial filters, respectively; and transmitting the channel using thefirst spatial filter for the first number of repetitions and using thesecond spatial filter for the second number of repetitions based on theassociation.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receivingthird information for a pattern; and determining, based on the pattern,first groups of repetitions and second groups of repetitions from thefirst and second number of repetitions, respectively, whereintransmitting the channel based on the association comprises transmittingthe channel by alternating between the first groups of repetitions andthe second groups of repetitions.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving third information that indicates one of: thesecond number of repetitions is zero, the first number of repetitions iszero, transmission of the channel starts with repetitions from the firstnumber of repetitions, or the channel transmission starts withrepetitions from the second number of repetitions; and determining theassociation for the first and second numbers of repetitions with thefirst or second spatial filters based on the third information.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein transmitting the channel based on theassociation comprises transmitting a first repetition of the channelusing the first spatial filter and a second repetition of the channelusing a second spatial filter.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving a downlink control information (DCI) format,wherein determining the first and second spatial filters comprisesdetermining the first and second spatial filters based on: a value for asounding reference signal (SRS) resource set field of the DCI format,and first and second values for corresponding first and second SRSresource indicator (SRI) fields of the DCI format, wherein the channelis a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled by the DCI format,or a configured-grant PUSCH activated by the DCI format.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from higher layers: thirdinformation for first and second values for corresponding first andsecond sounding reference signal (SRS) resource sets, and fourthinformation for first and second values for corresponding first andsecond SRS resource indicators (SRIs), wherein determining the first andsecond spatial filters comprises determining the first and secondspatial filters based on the third and fourth information, wherein thechannel is a configured grant physical uplink shared channel (CG-PUSCH)activated by higher layers.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the first and second spatial filters further comprisesdetermining the first and second spatial filters based on first andsecond spatial relation information provided by a medium access control(MAC) control element (CE), wherein the channel is a physical uplinkcontrol channel (PUCCH).
 8. A user equipment (UE) comprising: atransceiver configured to receive: first information for spatialfilters, and second information for a number of repetitions; and aprocessor operably connected to the transceiver, the processorconfigured to determine: first and second spatial filters based on thespatial filters, wherein the first and second spatial filters aredifferent, and an association for first and second numbers ofrepetitions, based on the number of repetitions, with the first andsecond spatial filters, respectively, wherein the transceiver is furtherconfigured to transmit or a channel using the first spatial filter forthe first number of repetitions and using the second spatial filter forthe second number of repetitions based on the association.
 9. The UE ofclaim 8, wherein: the transceiver is further configured to receive thirdinformation for a pattern, the processor is further configured todetermine, based on the pattern, first groups of repetitions and secondgroups of repetitions from the first and second number of repetitions,respectively, and the transceiver is further configured to transmit thechannel by alternating between the first groups of repetitions and thesecond groups of repetitions.
 10. The UE of claim 8, wherein: thetransceiver is further configured to receive third information thatindicates one of: the second number of repetitions is zero, the firstnumber of repetitions is zero, transmission of the channel starts withrepetitions from the first number of repetitions, or the channeltransmission starts with repetitions from the second number ofrepetitions; and the processor is further configured to determine theassociation for the first and second numbers of repetitions with thefirst or second spatial filters based on the third information.
 11. TheUE of claim 8, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmita first repetition of the channel using the first spatial filter and asecond repetition of the channel using a second spatial filter.
 12. TheUE of claim 8, wherein: the transceiver is further configured to receivea downlink control information (DCI) format; the processor is furtherconfigured to determine the first and second spatial filters based on: avalue for a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set field of theDCI format, and first and second values for corresponding first andsecond SRS resource indicator (SRI) fields of the DCI format; and thechannel is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled by the DCIformat, or a configured-grant PUSCH activated by the DCI format.
 13. TheUE of claim 8, wherein: the transceiver is further configured toreceive, from higher layers: third information for first and secondvalues for corresponding first and second sounding reference signal(SRS) resource sets, and fourth information for first and second valuesfor corresponding first and second SRS resource indicators (SRIs); theprocessor is further configured to determine the first and secondspatial filters based on the third and fourth information; and thechannel is a configured grant physical uplink shared channel (CG-PUSCH)activated by higher layers.
 14. The UE of claim 8, wherein: theprocessor is further configured to determine the first and secondspatial filters based on first and second spatial relation informationprovided by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), and thechannel is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).
 15. A base station(BS) comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit: first informationfor spatial filters, and second information for a number of repetitions;and a processor operably connected to the transceiver, the processorconfigured to determine: first and second spatial filters based on thespatial filters, wherein the first and second spatial filters aredifferent, and an association for first and second numbers ofrepetitions, based on the number of repetitions, with the first andsecond spatial filters respectively; wherein the transceiver isconfigured to receive a channel using the first spatial filter for thefirst number of repetitions and using the second spatial filter for thesecond number of repetitions based on the association.
 16. The BS ofclaim 15, wherein: the transceiver is further configured to transmitthird information for a pattern, the processor is further configured todetermine, based on the pattern, first groups of repetitions and secondgroups of repetitions from the first and second number of repetitions,respectively, and the transceiver is further configured to receive thechannel by alternating between the first groups of repetitions and thesecond groups of repetitions.
 17. The BS of claim 15, wherein: thetransceiver is further configured to transmit third information thatindicates one of: the second number of repetitions is zero, the firstnumber of repetitions is zero, reception of the channel starts withrepetitions from the first number of repetitions, or the channelreception starts with repetitions from the second number of repetitions;and the processor is further configured to determine the association forthe first and second numbers of repetitions with the first or secondspatial filters based on the third information.
 18. The BS of claim 15,wherein: the transceiver is further configured to transmit a downlinkcontrol information (DCI) format; the processor is further configured todetermine the first and second spatial filters based on: a value for asounding reference signal (SRS) resource set field of the DCI format,and first and second values for corresponding first and second SRSresource indicator (SRI) fields of the DCI format; and the channel is aphysical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled by the DCI format, or aconfigured-grant PUSCH activated by the DCI format.
 19. The BS of claim15, wherein: the transceiver is further configured to transmit: thirdinformation for first and second values for corresponding first andsecond sounding reference signal (SRS) resource sets, and fourthinformation for first and second values for corresponding first andsecond SRS resource indicators (SRIs); the processor is furtherconfigured to determine the first and second spatial filters based onthe third and fourth information; and the channel is a configured grantphysical uplink shared channel (CG-PUSCH) activated by higher layers.20. The BS of claim 15, wherein: the processor is further configured todetermine the first and second spatial filters based on first and secondspatial relation information provided by a medium access control (MAC)control element (CE), and the channel is a physical uplink controlchannel (PUCCH).